Mudaliyar

Weddings are incomplete without the use of floral decorations and garlands. The smell of pungent flowers hanging off ceilings, swaying to the tunes of a Nadaswaram are something that enhance the celebratory mood of the day. However, it is the floral garlands and the garland ceremony called Maalai Matrudhal that holds importance in the wedding rituals. Particularly, in a Tamil Mudaliyar wedding, this ceremony is believed to follow the vedic ritual of exchange of garlands between the bride and groom signifying deeper meanings.

Tamil Mudaliyar weddings are rich in cultural rituals and family traditions. The elders of the family make sure that their family members adhere to all the age-old customs and are always united by a deep sense of family bonding. Hindu Mudaliyar wedding rituals are very interesting to watch and are a matter of pride for the entire family.

Tamil Mudaliyar wedding traditions are well known for all the fun and frolic present. Along with maintaining cultural rituals strictly, they make space for lots of laughter and enjoyment too. The pre-wedding rituals are mostly occasions where the whole family gets together to enjoy a great reunion. The events are planned in such a way that the entire atmosphere is filled with joy and love. One such pre-wedding ritual is the famous Kasi Yatra.

The Tamil Mudaliyar's rituals are all conducted after checking an auspicious time. The Tamil calendar and Panchamgam are used by astrologers to find an auspicious time. According to tradition, if things are done at the right time the Celestial forces will all be in your favor and thus lead to success and hence Hindu matrimony is conducted only at those times. The groom tying the Mangalyam around the neck of the bride is the final and most vital aspect of the wedding ceremony in a Tamil Mudaliar Wedding. 

The most emotional yet important ceremony in a wedding is the ‘Kanyadanam’ or the ‘Kanikkadanam’. It is probably the one role that every father heavy heartedly carries out on the wedding day while wishing his daughter the best of everything in her new journey ahead. A major custom in the list of Indian wedding rituals, almost all Hindu communities follow this as part of completing the marriage. The word ‘Kanya or Kanika’ translates to a girl and ‘Daan or daanam’ denotes the process of gifting or giving away.

Attend a Tamil Mudaliyar wedding to experience sacred rituals, celebrations and a divine spread of delicious South Indian vegetarian food. The bride and groom commit to each other at the kalyana mandapam through the wedding ceremony conducted by a priest amidst family members, relatives and friends. The wedding ceremony itself is marked sacred through the holy fire called Homam, lit by the chosen priest to act as a witness for the marriage and it’s proceedings. One of the key Tamil wedding customs is the Kanganam Kattudal ceremony.

Indian weddings are not restricted to just the auspicious matrimony day. Celebrations and rituals start days in advance eventually leading to the grand pre-agreed date and time for the blessed union to take place. 

The wedding rituals for Tamil Mudaliyar community include customs that are symbolic with deeper meanings and include a range of these to signify belief systems. One such is the Manai Pongal ceremony that takes place on the day of the wedding upon the arrival of the bride and groom at the venue. 

Mudaliyar matrimonials have a lot of rituals that carry great significance. One of the events which is unique in these weddings is the Padapuja. The tradition on Padapuja of washing the feet of the elders is not something new and has been followed from olden days. Earlier even guests would be welcomed by performing this and was considered as a humble gesture by the host. 

In Mudaliyar Weddings, not only the grooms, but even the Mudliyar brides do a pada puja by washing the feet of their parents to show gratitude for all the things they have done from their birth to marriage.

The Arasan Kal is a ritual that is performed to seek blessings from the sacred Fig tree and the Bamboo Pole. The Fig tree is called Arasu or King of trees in Tamil. 

Almost every beginning is marked with a prayer to the ever-loving Lord Ganesha or Ganapati, the remover of obstacles. Praying to this deity is believed to bless the start of any auspicious event- whether it’s a purchase of new land or the union of a couple.