This is the sole wedding ritual that is done only by the bride on her wedding day. After taking the purifying bath also known as the Mangala Snaanam the bride will offer her prayers to Goddess Gauri. Since goddess Gauri is the mother of the whole world, the bride offers her prayers to the Goddess and asks her to give the same strength, a peaceful, prosperous, and a healthy married life.
Significance of Gauri Pooja in Tamil Brahmin Iyer Weddings
There are many tales as to why a bride performs Gauri Puja but notable among them are two.
- Goddess Parvathi performs this puja to appease Lord Shiva and to become a part of him.
- Another tale is that Goddess Parvathi and Lord Shiva are considered an ideal couple who lead a happy married life. By performing this puja the bride is seeking blessings of the Goddess to give her the strength to handle all the ups and downs in marriage and life. The bride considers Goddess Parvathi to be her role model and prays to her for blessings so that her married life is also like that of the Goddess and also gets a husband like Lord Shiva.
The Gauri Pooja Procedure in Tamil Brahmin Iyer Weddings
An idol of goddess Gauri is placed on a thattu (plate) along with rice and kumkum. The bride should not talk to anyone while the puja is going on and her whole attention should be on praying. The pooja begins with invoking the Goddess with love and respect and also dressing the idol with jewellery. Offerings of green bangles, the black Mangalsutra, vermilion (kumkum), garlands, etc. are made to please the goddess. Prasadam is prepared and is given as Nivedyam (offering) to God first and then distributed among those who are present for the pooja. A short story of the Gauri Vrata is read and Gauri puja aarti is performed to end the ritual.
Today, many people use the books available called Gowri vratham procedure in Tamil to ensure that they do it right.