The bride and the groom are required to take an auspicious bath on the marriage day. The aim is to purify them and make them perform sacred rites. This bath is called Abhyangana Snanam.

The groom attends the God Ganesha and Goddess Gowri puja which is conducted at the mandapam. This is time when the bride’s gotram will be changed from her paternal gotram to the groom’s gotram, this is called Pravara.

The bride’s father then performs ‘Kanyadanam’, the ritual of passing her on to her husband. Bride’s father drops her hands into the hands of the Groom, and the groom takes the oath of protecting her from there on.

The groom holds her hands and accepts her into his life. he takes her hands into his, denoting that only death shall part them.

Traditionally the bride and the groom are not allowed to look at each other until this moment. After placing this on each other’s head they see each other for the first time. This indicates the inseparable and unbreakable.

In this ritual, three knots are tied with maangalyam around the bride’s neck. Three knots can never be untied. This denotes that the bond between them is so strong that they can never be separated.

Rice mixed with turmeric and flower petals is placed on each other’s head. Rice shows the over flowing prosperity. So it is used as an indication of the wealth and the prosperousness of their married life, symbolising the abundance.

Saptapadi is a ritual where the groom’s scarf is tied to the bride’s saree pallu (edge of saree). The groom and bride walk seven steps together around the fire, while taking their oaths of caring, guiding, loving, understanding and protecting each other.

Sthalipakam is a ritual where the groom adorns the bride’s feet with a silver ring. This shows that a man bends over in front of the woman to make her his wife.

Arundhati Nakshatram is a ritual where the groom shows the bride double stars of Vashista and Arundhati as an ideal couple, symbolic of marital fulfilment and loyalty.

This is the time when the bride is traditionally handed off to the groom and his family.
This is the last event of the marriage occasion.