which the Bride’s family

which the Bride’s family gives her away to the Groom. This is a very emotional ceremony for the Bride and her parents. After the Gauri Pooja the Bride is asked to join her parents at the “Mandapam”. Here the Bride and the Groom are separated by a curtain placed between them. They are not to see each other until after the marriage ceremony. The Bride’s parents wash the Groom’s feet in a gesture that symbolizes their belief that he is a form of God to whom they now offer their daughter’s hand

efore the Sumuhurtam

efore the Sumuhurtam, the Groom already starts his rituals in the “Mandapam” during which time, the Bride is performing Pooja to Goddess Parvati (Also known as Gauri) in another room. She prays to Goddess Gauri to bless her with a happy married life, and during this pooja the Bride is not supposed to utter a single word. At an appointed time, the priests at the “Mandapamm” ask the Bride