Mandap holds supreme importance on the wedding day. Some of the most sacred and important rituals of wedding are performed during the mandap ceremony. Mandap is a canopy which usually stands on four pillars decorates by beautiful traditional colors like red, maroon, purple, silver and gold which are considered as radiating happiness and prosperity. Mandap is also decorated by lights, banana trees, wooden pillar and other decorative articles.
Mandap is an important part of Hindu marriage as the wedding takes place inside the mandap lit by a sacred fire in the centre. Seating arrangements under the mandap can be on mats, carpets or on the ground, depending upon the space of the mandap. In addition, it is richly decorated by various things like fresh and artificial flowers, hanging artifacts and small lights used on mandap.
Mandap ceremony takes place at the bride’s home and the Bride’s parent’s takes great care in decorating their home and especially the mandap as it is the main attraction of the wedding. According to sacred Hindu scriptures, the pillar of mandap signifies the support of parent’s side as well as the four Vedas. In the front of holy fire and amidst the chanting of Mantras by the priest, all the sacred rituals take place like saat phere and kanyadaan.
Saat Phere
Marriage is the union of two different people, culture and community. In India, marriage stands for the union of two souls forever; as a bond which will live through seven lives as the Hindus believe in the cycle of rebirth. “Saat Phere”stands for seven vows that the bride and groom take in the presence of their community and with Fire God as a supreme witness. Each “Phera” (meaning the circling of the ritual fire by the bride and the Groom) has a deep meaning. In First phera, the couple prays for plenty of food. Second is for the prosperity and healthy life. Third is for the wealth. In fourth couple prays for love and respect. In the Fifth they pray the God for noble and beautiful children. In the sixth they pray for long and peaceful life together. Seven is the final phera which is most important for couple which talks about loyalty in their relation.
Kanyadaan
Kanyadaan is a very important and an emotional ritual in Hindu marriage. It is the last of the rituals wherein the father of the bride gives the hand of his daughter to the groom forever. It signifies the end of a phase in a girl’s life and the beginning of another. It means that from now on the groom shall be responsible for keeping the girl happy and protect her from all evils and misfortunes.
