Bride Goes On Horse To Groom’s House, Asks For His Hand

INDORE: Rajni, a 25-year-old law student, dressed in best bridal finery, mounted a horse and took her baraat (marriage procession) to the groom’s house through her village. After an hour-long marriage procession and dancing onthe streets, she went to mandap (pandal) and asked the groom to marry her


Unbelievable though it may sound, but that is exactly what happened at a marriage in Satwara village of Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh.

The unique tradition — ‘Kanya Ghatari’ — which was practised by the Patidar community, wherein the bride takes her baraat to the groom’s place, had long been forgotten, was brought alive. Senior members of the community endorsed Rajni’s initiative to revive the age old tradition and lavished praise on her.

Rajni, who got married two days ago, initially felt a little awkward at the idea of riding a horse and taking the baraat to the groom’s place. “I realized that the idea was to empower women and this practice would certainly eradicate many evils in the society,” she said.

Normally, boys consider it their birth right to take out the baraat. But for Praveen Patidar, 30, a state government employee, seeing his wife coming to marry him on a horse was a matter of pride.

Groom’s father Ishwarlal Patel said that even on the wedding card that was printed a month ago, there was a message of women empowerment. He said his family wished that their daughter-in-law would take her baraat to their house.

About the tradition, he said first the bride was offered coconut by her parents. After completing the ritual, the girl mounted the horse and led the baraat from her house, which after passing fromthe narrow lanes of village, reached the groom’s place.

The girl then came up to the mandap (pandal) on the horse and proposed the groom, asking him whether he would marry her. Waiting family members of the groom welcomed the bride. Thereafter, the marriage was solemnized.