This Kerala Nair Hindu wedding ritual is conducted after the thalikettu. Known by different names the Pudamuri / Podamuri / Pudavamuri is a heartwarming ritual where the groom gift's his newlywed wife a silk saree. It is the wedding highlight among all of the Kerala Nair wedding rituals.
History of Pudavamuri
In the early days, the ‘Pudavamuri’ was the actual wedding ceremony of the Kerala Nair community. The thalikettu was introduced as part of the wedding ritual after 1957 and was adopted from the Tamil customs. Prior to 1957, the groom’s family presented an entire bale of cloth popularly known as ‘mundu’ at an auspicious time. As per tradition, this bale was cut into wearable saree lengths and distributed among the female relatives including the bride. Hence the name ‘Pudava’ ‘Muri’ (‘Puduva’ means sari and ‘Muri’ means ‘to cut’) which over time has been referred to as Pudamuri.
Evolved Custom
Pudamuri was the only custom in the Kerala Nair community that denoted the actual wedding ceremony before the institutionalization of marriage. Hence it is the most important custom in Kerala Nair weddings. The saree bale tradition is not practised any more, and instead, the bride alone is gifted a saree by the groom.
What Happens During the Pudamuri Ritual in Kerala Nair Weddings
The saree and blouse (traditional Kerala Set Mundu or Silk saree) are placed on a decorated platter and gifted to the new wife. This signifies that the groom will care for his bride with sincerity and promises that he will provide for her needs throughout her life. It is given to the bride as an acceptance of her and formally making her a member of his family. This gifting signifies that the newlyweds have happily accepted each other as their life partner and they would love and respect each other for the rest of their life together.
Then the Groom’s mother gifts a necklace or chain to the bride that signifies her acceptance of the bride as her daughter-in-law. Then the bride and groom perform pradakshinam (circumambulation) three times around the Mandap. After the pradakshinam, the bride and the groom will be given paalum pazham (sweetened milk and banana) by the near and dear ones from the respective families. This signifies a sweet start to their married life together.
After all these events, the other elders in the family bless the newly married couple. Then the elders of the household shower gifts on the newlyweds. When all of the above is over, the bride and groom will be escorted to have the feast.