And now, a queue for getting married
An age-old custom has turned out to be a thriving fad in Kerala, as more and more couples prefer to get married in temples. But the Sri Krishna temple in Guruvayoor is perhaps the only shrine where scores of brides and grooms queue up to tie the nuptial knot.
Every visitor to Guruvayoor is witness to the sight of young couples, patiently waiting for their turn to ascend the marriage mandapam outside the eastern entrance to the temple.
The number of marriages held every day ranges from 35 to 100. The temple recently registered a record in this regard, when 129
couples were united in wedlock on a single day, reveals temple administrator S Ayyappan Nair.
The striking advantage of Guruvayoor is that marriages can be held
here on any day and at any time. Hindu marriages are normally avoided in the Malayalam months of Midhunam, Karkatakam and Kanni. But, in Guruvayoor, marriages take place even during these inauspicious months. But the marriage frenzy reaches its zenith during Chingam (August-September), the most auspicious month of the year.
At Guruvayoor, marriages can be held any time between 5 to 12.30 am and 4.30 to 8.30 pm. Preference, however, is given to the morning session.
Unlike other temples, the thalikettu (tying of the sacred
mangalsutra by the groom around the bride's neck) is performed even during the inauspicious rahukalam (a time usually avoided while performing holy or worthwhile tasks).
Two decades ago, not more than a score or so marriages were held each day in Guruvayoor. Then, the ceremony was conducted inside the temple, near the golden flag mast. But when the number of weddings started increasing, the venue was shifted to the open space outside the temple. The devaswom even constructed two marriage mandapams near the eastern gate.
With the temple becoming a popular marriage centre, the two
mandapams are increasingly becoming inadequate.
Owing to the rush and limited number of mandapams, each couple is allowed barely three to seven minutes for the wedding ceremony. Only the couple and some of their relatives alone are allowed near the mandapam; the others have try and get a glimpse from the distance.
After going quickly through the rituals, including the crucial
thalikettu, the exchange of garlands and the gift of pudava to the bride, the mandapam has to be vacated for the next couple.
While the time allotted for each marriage is sufficient for Nair
weddings, which require just three minutes, the brahmins, whose marriages are packed with prolonged rituals, feel stifled. "In such cases, the tying of the thali and the exchange of garlands are performed at the mandapam, while the remaining rituals take place at the nearby sazrams. The feast is also served there," said a koyma (a brahmin who conducts marriages)
The Guruvayoor devaswom earns Rs 75 per marriage.
This includes the fee for the artistes who play the traditional instruments, like chenda and nadaswaram.
However, the temple does not not have any arrangement for the
registration of the marriages.
The temple rules stipulate that only lawful marriages should
be performed in the temple precincts. "But, at times, unlawful
marriages are also held. A middle-aged man was caught recently by his wife minutes before he was to have married another woman. But such cases are rare," said R Narayanan, assistant manager, temple administration.
Marriages are solemnised at Guruvayoor not only by people from different parts of Kerala, and also from other southern states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
Most of the marriages held in Guruvayoor are in fulfillment of vows taken by the bride's or groom's family. Those who could not fulfill their vow because their ward got married elsewhere, bring the couple here to tie the thali formally, even several years of marriage.
Others prefer Guruvayoor because it is a simple and less expensive way of getting married. Some families, who get the couple tie the thali at Guruvayoor, conduct pompous marriages in their native town later. Lovers, who defy their parents, select Guruvayoor for their marriage to get the support of the Lord.
A temple priest said Malayalee youth working in the Gulf countries prefer to get married at Guruvayoor, as marriage ceremonies can be organised on a preferred date at short notice. "This means a lot to the Gulf Malayalee who has very little time at his disposal during his brief holiday," he said.
The increasing incidence of love and intercaste marriages are attributed as reasons for the marriage boom at Guruvayoor.
All this has led to a thriving catering business by hostels, private parties and even the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation. The meals, which are served on plantain leaves as per the traditional Kerala style, cost anywhere between Rs 30 to Rs 90 per head. The state tourism corporation, which has two hotels in front of the temple, has the manpower and resources to undertake upto a maximum of 10 feasts a day.
But the marriage boom has affected the devotees adversely. During peak marriage seasons, rooms are scarce because of block booking by marriage parties.
Besides, the number of devotees visiting the temple increases every year, if the hundi collection is any indication. The marriage boom is also a factor for the increasing hundi collection and other offerings to the temple.
The hundi collection at the temple on an average, is more than Rs 7.5 million a month. An all-time high of Rs 9.5 million was recorded in May, according to A Radhakrishnan, a member of the Guruvayoor devaswom managing committee.
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