Telugu Wedding Rituals in Order, Pelli Choopulu to Appagintalu

A Telugu wedding (pelli) starts with pelli choopulu, the first meeting, and nischitartham, the engagement. In the days before the wedding come pasupu kottadam and the pelli kuthuru and pelli koduku rituals. On the wedding day the order is kashi yatra, kanyadanam, jeelakarra bellam at the exact muhurtham, mangalya dharanam, talambralu and saptapadi. Appagintalu, the handing over of the bride, ends it.

The most important moment is jeelakarra bellam, not the tying of the mangalsutram. The muhurtham is set for the instant the couple place a paste of cumin and jaggery on each other's heads.

A Telugu Wedding at a Glance

A Telugu wedding is usually spread over two to three days. The muhurtham can be at any hour, morning or late night, because it is fixed by the lagnam (the rising sign) that suits both horoscopes.

Fixing the Alliance

Pelli choopulu is the first visit, when the boy's family comes to see the girl, and both see each other. Before this, the families usually exchange biodatas with the jatakam, and a purohit matches the horoscopes.

Once both sides agree, the nischitartham fixes the match. Elders exchange thamboolam (betel leaves, nuts, fruits), and the purohit writes the lagna patrika, the letter that fixes the wedding date and muhurtham.

Pre-Wedding Rituals

Pasupu kottadam. Married women from the family pound turmeric roots in a stone mortar, usually at the bride's home, while singing. This starts the wedding work. Pasupu is the Telugu word for turmeric.

Pelli kuthuru. Pelli kuthuru means "the bride", and the ritual makes her one. She is given an oil and turmeric bath (mangala snanam), dressed in a new saree with flowers and bangles, and blessed by married women. The groom has his own pelli koduku ritual at his home.

Snathakam. In Brahmin and many other families, the groom performs the snathakam, a ritual that marks the end of his student life. A sacred thread is put on him. Kashi yatra follows, where he sets out for Kashi with a stick and an umbrella, and the bride's brother stops him and asks him to marry his sister.

Wedding-Day Rituals in Order

1. Edurukolu. The bride's family welcomes the groom's party at the venue. In many families the two sides tease each other.
2. Gowri puja. The bride prays to the goddess Gowri for a good married life, while the groom gets ready.
3. The bride in a basket. In many Telugu weddings the bride's maternal uncles carry her into the mandapam in a decorated bamboo basket (gampa). It is a sign that her mother's family brings her to the wedding.
4. Kanyadanam. A curtain (tera) is held between the bride and groom. The bride's parents wash the groom's feet, treating him as Vishnu, and then give their daughter's hand. Our page on kanyadaan has more on the ritual.
5. Jeelakarra bellam. At the exact muhurtham, the bride and groom place a paste of cumin seeds (jeelakarra) and jaggery (bellam) on each other's head, on the crown. The curtain is then lowered and they see each other. Families explain it simply: cumin is bitter, jaggery is sweet, and a marriage has both.
6. Mangalya dharanam. The groom ties the mangalsutram, with two gold discs (pustelu), one from each family, with three knots.
7. Talambralu. The couple pour rice mixed with turmeric, and sometimes pearls, over each other's heads. It is a contest, and the cousins cheer for their own side.
8. Saptapadi. The end of the bride's saree is knotted to the groom's dhoti (the brahmamudi), and they take seven steps together. The groom puts silver toe rings (mettelu) on the bride's toes.
9. Arundhati nakshatra darshan. At night, the couple are shown the Arundhati star, a symbol of a faithful wife.

The bride and groom usually wear the madhuparkam, a white or cream saree and dhoti with a red border, for the main rituals.

Post-Wedding Rituals

Appagintalu. On the morning after, or at the end of the wedding, the bride's parents formally hand her over to the groom's family. Her mother usually sings or speaks, asking them to treat her daughter as their own. Very few eyes stay dry at appagintalu.

Grihapravesam. The bride enters her new home, often after kicking a measure of rice at the door.

Satyanarayana vratham. A puja at the groom's home a few days later, to thank God for the wedding.

Clothes, Jewellery and Food

The food is the pride of any Telugu wedding. Pulihora, gongura pachadi, pappu, avakaya, bobbatlu and several kinds of sweets, all on a banana leaf.

Andhra and Telangana

The main rituals are the same in both states. Differences come more from the community (Brahmin, Reddy, Kamma, Kapu, Velama and others) than from the state line. Telangana weddings in and around Hyderabad often add a sangeet and mehendi, borrowed from North Indian and Hyderabadi Muslim weddings. Ask an elder from your own community for the details your family follows.

Auspicious Months and Muhurtham

Telugu families usually avoid Ashadham (around June and July) for weddings. In many families a newly married bride also spends her first Ashadham at her mother's home, away from her mother-in-law.

Common wedding months are Magham, Phalgunam, Vaisakham, Jyeshtham, Sravanam and Karthikam, depending on the year's muhurthams. The muhurtham comes from your purohit after he studies both jatakams. You can see the year's marriage dates for your city on Drik Panchang before you meet him.

Any customary Hindu wedding is valid under Section 7 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. Register the marriage afterwards. The certificate is needed for passport and visa work.

Before the Pelli Choopulu

Most Telugu alliances start with a biodata and a jatakam travelling between families. You can make a biodata here and choose Telugu as the print language. It prints the labels in Telugu script. For how Telugu weddings compare with Tamil, Kannada and Kerala weddings, see our page on South Indian wedding rituals.