India is an abode to many religions. There is a diversity in wedding rituals that varies from region to region. One of the religions which are known for their simplicity is Jainism. The last Tirthankara Mahavira is the founder of this ancient religion. After Mahavira’s death, a schism occurred between the Jain community. Two major sects were formed, the Shvetambara and the Digambara. The whole Jain community remains very isolated from other communities. In this religion, the wedding takes place with a lot of ardor and joy. There are many Jain matrimonial traditions and rituals. Yet, they all are characterized by their simplicity and purity.
The beautiful bride in Jain Wedding
Jain matrimony brides may either wear a saree or a lehenga depending on family traditions and personal choice. Generally, red is the most preferred color although these days other colors are also favored. The Jain bride is decked up in a lot of jewelry which may be gold or Kundan Jadau.
Swetambar Jains are found majorly in North Indian states such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh while the community of Digambar Jains is mainly concentrated in Maharashtra and Karnataka. Hence, the wedding rituals in Shwetambar Jains are mostly influenced by Hindu wedding rituals in North India, and the rituals of the Jain Digambar matrimony are influenced by that of South and Western India. Although the traditions and customs differ by region, their importance remains the same.
Values and tradition of a Jain Wedding
Enlightening some of the more common rituals and traditions that one would witness during the Jain wedding-
1. Lagana Lekhan
This Jain wedding ritual is a small ceremony that takes place to decide the auspicious date and time of the wedding.
2. Sagai
This ceremony is similar to an engagement ceremony in which the bride’s brother applies a tikka on the groom’s forehead and offers him gifts like clothes, money, sweets, etc.
3. Lagana Patrika Vachan
This ritual takes place during the ceremony of sagai. The priest reads out the auspicious lagna patrika for all to hear.
4. Mada Mandap
This pre-wedding ritual is to be held separately in both the bride and groom’s houses which involves a few sacred pujas conducted by the priest.
5. Baraati and Aarti
In this ritual, the groom is accompanied by people called barati singing, dancing, and celebrating along the way on the way to the wedding venue. Then, the groom is greeted by the bride’s brother who applies a tikka on his forehead.
6. Kanyadaan
This ritual is performed by the bride’s father who places 1 rupee and 25 paise along with rice in his daughter’s right hand and then gives her hand to the groom.
7. Granthi Bandhan
A married woman ties the pallu of the bride’s saree to the shawl of the groom.
8. Mangal Pheras
The couple then takes seven pheras around the holy fire. After this, the bride is regarded as Vamangi as she becomes the better half of her husband. Then, the couple exchange garlands.
9. Aashirwad
On completion of the wedding rituals, the couple takes blessings from the elders for a prosperous new married life.
While matchmaking, Jains prefer to get their sons and daughters married within the community only so that the future generation would also follow the same religion, traditions and dharma. Earlier, they look for a boy or a girl within their community through word-of-mouth or through newspaper matrimonial.
With the change in time, the popularity of Jain matrimonial sites is increasing. The world of online matrimonial sites has opened up a whole plethora of options that were not available earlier to people.
Benefits of using matrimonial sites:
- Today, distance is no longer a constraint in finding your life partner if you are ready to log in anytime, anywhere with the right intent.
- This is a great opportunity for youth to communicate and exchange their views, interests and preferences with each other.
- These sites are quite economical in terms of time and money and all the registered matrimony profiles here are safe and secured.
Hence, we can conclude that matrimonial sites are highly applauded all over the nation. The prospective brides and grooms put a lot of effort into creating an impressive matrimony profile in order to find the perfect match.
Punit