Marriages in Serangulam, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu

December 28, 1999

>From "Glimpses of Traditional Indian Life," by HH Bhakti Vikas Swami

(Ramanujam Ranganathan tells of his boyhood in Tamil Nadu...and daily rites

in the [sri Vaisnava] brahmana quarters of his village's Visnu temple.)

RR: Marriages were grandly celebrated--at least a five-day function. The

whole village would attend. Even the bridegroom's family's invitation to the

bride's people, and the reciprocation involved, was all done as a grand

function. The marriage itself would consist of various rituals and rites,

which often depicted the pastimes of Lord Krsna and Rukmini devi. Various

indigenous instruments like the nadasvaram would provde background music.

The bride and groom used to participate in games to test their physical and

mental strength. And there was a song that depicted the pastimes of the Lord

when he came to wed Andal. There were so many aspects to the wedding, but

nowadays very people even know they exist, let alone appreciate their

significance.

BVS: At what age would the boys get married?

RR: At 14 or 15--the age later became 22 or 23, and now it is around 30. As

the boys were young, they did not know what marriage was. The elders would

fix the marriage and make all the arrangements. There were also cases of

people having a second wife, but they would be treated somewhat differently,

and looked down upon.

BVS: Who would be looked down upon--the second wife, or those who took a

second wife?

RR: Both.

BVS: But wasn't it common in Hindu culture to accept another wife,

especially if the first wife was barren or produced only girl children?

RR: Not among the people I knew. Only if someone's wife died young was

remarriage considered acceptable.

BVS: Marriage partners were settled by the parents.

RR: Yes.

BVS: Before marriage, would the boys know who the girl would be? Were they

from the same village, or would they be chosen from different villages?

RR: They would meet for the first time at marriage. Generally they selected

the bride from another village, although in some cases she was from the same

village. The main thing was to consult an astrologer. If their horoscopes

matched, they would be sure that there would be compatability between

husband and wife.

[to be continued]

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