Liz Hurley and Arun Nayar got married in a Hindu ceremony at Jodhpur, to the annoyance of some. Also a look at the seven prayers made around the sacred fire.
Celebrities Elizabeth Hurley and Arun Nayar got married according to Hindu custom in the Indian city of Jodhpur. This follows their civil wedding that took place earlier. Traditional Hindu weddings are grand affairs and none more so than in the state of Rajasthan, where Jodhpur is situated. In fact Jodhpur has become a popular wedding venue and it is common to see the bride’s and groom’s families travel all the way to celebrate a fairy tale wedding there.
A Hindu wedding is both a religious and social event. Since Hindus belong to diverse social communities, the wedding ceremonies are different in different societies. The wedding ceremonies consist of many events each having its special significance. However the core of the Hindu wedding is the Saat Pheres or the Seven Circumambulations of the sacred fire, making a prayer with each round. In the first round the couple ask for sufficient food throughout their lives, in the second for mental and physical well-being, in the third for economic prosperity, in the fourth for happiness, in the fifth for children, in the sixth for a long life and in the seventh foe everlasting friendship.
Today in India inter community marriages are common and therefore it is common to have two wedding ceremonies one as practiced by each community. The ceremonies are considered auspicious and therefore each family wants to ensure that its deities are not offended. And two ceremonies make for double the revelries.
The Liz-Arun wedding has invoked sharp responses in India. While most were happy that Liz was sensitive to the wishes of Arun’s Hindu family, there are some that called the wedding a farce and an insult to Hinduism. In fact a legal complaint has been filed citing “deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings”. The claim is that since Liz has not embraced Hinduism this marriage has hurt the sentiments of Hindus. The feeling is that the Hindu ceremony was used as a pretext to party. This is absurd. Whether the intent was to accommodate the wishes of the Hindu groom or simply to have a ball one cannot say. But given the wide meaning of Hinduism and its tolerant nature such petty objections serve only to mar the growing interest in the Hindu culture.
