Being a South Indian, I am quite aware of how things work in this part of the country. From the pre-wedding to the post-wedding, most Indian weddings last for several days. A wedding is more of a family union than an individual formality. The fun part is when you get to shop before it. No matter how stressful planning ‘D-day’ might be, shopping eases you out a little! In Indian weddings, the brighter the clothing is, the better it looks! Jewel-toned dresses with glamorous jewellery is what you will see everywhere during the wedding.
Like in any wedding, jewellery plays an important role. The new Tanishq wedding collection has a variety of jewellery for the brides from different regions of the country. They are definitely living up to ‘Hum Har shaadi ke liye tayaar hain!’
Keeping that in mind, we went into planning mode for a Telugu wedding! We selected some pieces from the Telugu wedding collection as the designs were quite unique. From the many ornaments, a Telugu bride wears, a Mangalsutra is a symbol of Hindu marriage, consisting of a gold ornament strung from a yellow thread, a string of black beads or a gold chain. The Mangalsutra can be deciphered as a sacred thread. Telugu brides wear two Thaalis. The first is a plain gold chain with a semi-circular pendant while the other is a chain with black beads.
Another important piece of jewellery in the wedding are Gaajus. Bangles or Gaaju as they are known in Telugu are worn in pairs on each arm. It is considered inauspicious for a women not to wear bangles. Gaajus are not only ornaments but also make women feel protected. The concept behind this jewellery is similar to how rings are associated with marriage in western countries. Similar to Gaajus, Vanki and Vaddanam play an important role in Telugu weddings. A Vanki ring is usually presented at the time of the engagement and is sometimes presented by the in-laws at the time of marriage. It is used to ward off evil spirits. A Vaddanam is a given at the time of marriage and is usually an ornament worn around the waist.A Telugu bride wears a wide range of jewellery. This includes necklaces, bangles, papyri billas, jhumkis, vaddanams and hair embellishments. These are designed in patterns of gold and diamonds.
When it comes to the Telugu wedding, the bride’s maternal uncles and brother play an important role. Before the wedding, the bride and the groom are required to take an auspicious bath to be prepared to perform sacred rituals. Kanyādānaṃ is when the bride is brought to the mandapam in a bamboo basket by the maternal uncle. The bride and the groom are not allowed to see each other during this process. Later, the groom holds the bride’s hand and is told to chant a mantra.
Ten married women are asked to accompany the bride, out of which six women hold plates with sacred rice and the others hold lit lamps. Rice signifies abundance and lit lamps symbolizes light. When it’s time to tie the Mangalsutra, the partition between the bride and the groom is removed. After removing the partition, the groom ties the Mangalsutra around the bride’s neck. The Mangalsutra represents the union of two souls and two families. They also exchange garlands and elderly people witnessing the occasion bless the couple by sprinkling flowers petals.
The groom and the bride walk seven times around the holy fire while taking an oath to care, protect and love each other. A vessel filled with water is placed in front of the couple and the ring is put in. The bride and the groom are asked to search for the ring. Whoever finds the ring first is the dominant one in the relationship. It’s almost like a fun game as water splashes everywhere and there is support from all sides! Later, the bride is the handed off to the groom and their family. This is an emotional moment for the bride and her family as she will be starting a new life.
I have picked out some of my favourite pieces from the Tanishq wedding collection for the Telugu bride below. Let me know which one’s your favourite!
Check out the entire collection HERE
Photography: Karanjit Narang
