A Bond To Cherish Forever

By Author: Ankush Singhal
Total Articles: 173
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Originally belonging to Northern part of Karnataka, Devangas form a vast community. This community still follows their customs and traditions religiously. It has been observed that Devanga are mainly settled in South India and this is the reason why more and more people from to this community are found in states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Some of the community people are also settled in different parts of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Also named as Prakrut Brahmins, people belonging to this community are also referred to as Deva-Brahmin. Marriages organized in Devanga community have a very close resemblance to Hindu marriages and therefore one can see many traditions and customs of the Hindu culture reflected in the Devanga matrimonial as well. Many traditions that are followed in Devanga matrimonial are similar to Hindu religion although there are some subtle differences as well.

In Devanga Matrimonial, silk clothes are not allowed to be worn by either the brides or the grooms during the various wedding ceremonies carried ...
... out which is a unique feature of this community. The reason being, that silk is made from silk worms which cannot be worn on this auspicious day. So the bride and groom wear cotton clothes as a mark of respect for one of the purest traditions of the Devanga matrimonial.

In Devanga matrimony, the concerned families of prospective the girl and boy take the help of mediators and marriage consultants while looking for prospective brides or grooms for their children. Generally the mediators or consultants maintain a list of the suitable candidates. Despite modern times, marriages in Devanga community are generally arranged, with subtle changes and progress seen in this community. Family elders, community heads or parents have the main say as far as choosing a match is concerned. Several parameters like education, status, family background, appearance, age, income, etc are kept in mind while choosing the right match. Members of this community are now matching pace with the changing time which is reflected in Devanga matrimonial as well. They have tried to adopt the good features of modern matrimonies while keeping their basic traditions and customs intact.

Horoscopes of both the boy and the girl are matched and “kundli milan” is the first step towards arranging the marriage. Family pundits match the horoscopes after which the families meet along with the girl and boy. People belonging to this community stay far away from their homes and thus adopt certain modern customs as well. It is very important to take the consent of both the girl and the boy as it’s a lifelong commitment.

The families after consulting an astrologer meet and mutually decide on the date of wedding and the engagement in Devanga matrimony. This is done after both the boy and the girl are ready for this match. In the engagement ceremony, the boy and girl exchange rings which is a simple affair. The couple then seeks wishes and blessings from their families and elders after the ceremony. They are then showered with gifts, blessings and best wishes for their future life.

The Marriages generally last for 2-3 days and are generally held at “choultries’ which are originally known as marriage halls. A day prior to the ceremony, the bride goes to the marriage hall where she prays to the divine deity. The Devanga matrimonial includes “saat phere”, followed by the Vidai. It is then followed by a sumptuous meal for all the people gathered for the wedding. All in all it’s a beautiful, simple and traditional affair which marks the beautiful journey of the newly married couple ahead.

Sonali writes on behalf of Jeevansathi.com, which is India’s fastest growing Matrimonial website. Jeevansathi.com helps the users to search corresponding matches from their respective community like Hindu Matrimony, Brahmin Matrimonial wherein users can avail free registration and start initial contact with each other.