India is the mythical land of contrasts, folklores and fables, snake charmers and seers, effervescing with myths and legends and this mystical, exotic image of India is brilliantly perpetuated by Indian weddings which are known worldwide for their opulence and grandeur. However, an Indian wedding is much more of a religious and traditional ritual behind the obvious extravagance and glitz that marks the unison of two souls. In fact, Indian weddings are much more serious and ritualistic affairs in comparison to marriages performed anywhere else in the world. Unlike marriages in the west, nuptial knots in the Indian culture are less of a legal or social affair and are regarded with a sense of veneration and piety.
An Indian wedding is often confused with a Hindu marriage ceremony; however, it is just one of the many different kinds of wedding ceremonies canopied by the term and marriages in the other major seven religions- Islam, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, Jewish, Buddhism, Jain and Christianity also fall under this category.
In Hinduism, marriage is considered a pious bond and the ‘saat phere’ taken around the Agni Devta is believed to unite two souls not just forever but for the next seven births. A lot of religious significance and sacredness is associated with the marital bond in this religion and there are several folklores coming down to us from the Hindu mythologies validating the same. E.g.-the proverbial tale about Savitri who brought her dead husband back to life from the God of Death, Yamaraj and about Sati who sat on her dead husband’s pyre and converted herself to ashes as it was her duty as a wife to accompany her husband wherever he went.
The validity of all these tales/incidents cannot be arrived at, however, even if these were mere myths and legends, nevertheless, one can clearly visualise the impact it was meant to effect on people-that of marriage being an indelible and pious bond for ages and births. The other major religions in India have although different wedding rituals and customs, yet everywhere, weddings are regarded with the same sense of veneration and piety as in Hinduism, probably because most of them have been born and propagated from India, the mythical land of Savitri and Sati.
To read more about Indian Wedding as a Pious Ritual visit : http://www.bigindianwedding.com/
