Pada Puja vidhi muraigal (the rituals of pada pooja) is an important ritual in a Tamil Brahmin Iyer wedding. It happens just before the actual wedding ceremony. ‘Pada’ means feet and ‘pooja’ means performing the prayer rituals.
Procedure for Pada Pooja Ritual in Tamil Brahmin Iyer Weddings
This ceremony starts after the groom is welcomed to the mandap
- Once the groom arrives the bride’s father will wash the groom’s feet with holy water, sandalwood, and kumkum
- With flower petals, his feet will be wiped dry. In some places, it’s the bride’s mother who washes the groom’s feet
- The bride will be then called on to the mandap to continue the rest of the wedding ceremony
Significance of Pada Pooja Ritual
The Pada pooja significance is not understood nowadays and many are confused about why a young man is allowing an older person to wash his feet. In Indian culture, the elderly should be respected by younger people.
As per scriptures, the groom is considered as an incarnation of the almighty himself and the bride's father is honoring him by doing pada puja. He is also offering his most beloved daughter as a gift to the groom as he believes that she will be well-cared for. The groom on his part is expected to behave like the almighty and the bride's father washing feet is a symbolic gesture of respect for him with the hope that he will take care of his daughter like god himself.