Marriages in India differ in rituals and customs for the various religions. India is multi-diverse country, with all the major religions of the world co-existing in harmony. Religions like Buddhism, Jainism, Christianity and Islam have a good population. Hinduism has its roots in India and majority of the population India are followers of this religion. The religion is one of the oldest religions known to humankind and has written rules and regulations on life, birth, marriage and death. Hindu Marriage rules and regulations are prescribed in the ancient texts and manuscripts.
The Hindu Matrimonial alliances are fixed after consultation of horoscopes. Caste and community background are other important factors while fixing a Hindu Marriage. There are four major groups in Hinduism and Brahmin occupy the highest caste order. Under the Brahmin, there are many sub-groups like the Smartha or Advaitic Brahmins, Ambalavasi Brahmins, Vaidiki Brahmins, Sarola Brahmins, Koti Brahmin, Shivalli Smartha Brahmins, Maharashtrian Devrukhe Brahmins, Sthanika Brahmins and Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmins.
Some Brahmin communities in India are region based and one such community is that of Vaidiki Brahmins. The Vaidiki Brahmins are originally from Andhra Pradesh. The community members speak Telugu. Some members have also migrated to the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu. It is said that the members have mastered the Hindu texts, Vedas. The Vaidiki Brahmin community members are further divided into sub sects such as Adisaivulu, Dravidulu, Edavalu, Kasalnatlu, Murikinatlu, Karanakammalu, Mulakanatlu, Saivulu, Telaganyulu, Vaishnavulu, Veginatlu and Velanatlu.
Some more well-known regional Brahmin communities in India are Iyengar Brahmins, Dvaitic Brahmins Madhwa Kannada Brahmin, Shivalli Brahmins, Kanyakubja Brahmin, Bengali Vaid Brahmin, Maithil Brahmin and Telugu Madhwa Brahmin. These communities follow the Hindu Marriage rules and regulations. The matrimonial rituals differ from state to state though the wedding mantras are recited in Sanskrit.
Author: Shipra Sinha
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