THE BADAGA MARRIAGE:

The Badaga marriages are elegant, enticing, and captivating. The people and their unique cultural aspects differentiate them from other communities which makes them unique. Even despite the vast globalization and the rise in Technology, The Badaga culture still prevails without becoming extinct and is something to be well appreciated.

The Badagas are a non-ethnic group of people who are living on the Nilgiris hills. They are been inhibiting in the hilly region for more than a thousand years, They are inhabiting in Nilgiris for over 5000 B.C ("Shobana Swaminathan 1998:66, Reprint 2005", & quot;R.)Vokkaligas are considered to be their ancestors who migrated from Mysore to escape the persecution of the

Muslims. They are the aboriginal Tribes of Nilgiris and currently, over 1,45,000 people are living in that community.

Starting from the birth of a child to the death that takes place in their community, they have their

unique rituals which describe their distinctive cultural heritage. Marriage is one of the important

sacred ceremonies according to the Badaga community. It also matters a lot for them because it represents their communal identity. Marriage is celebrated like a festival by everyone in the village. It is a symbol of happiness for them and it can also be portrayed as an event that

joins everyone together as a family. The Badaga community has some rules and regulations to be followed during the process of marriage. They are simple rules that are

followed for over many centuries. To begin with, they don’t do inter-caste marriage and the

marriage between a boy and a girl belonging to the same village will not take place because

they are considered to be brothers and sisters. So they choose a bride from another village

which is called a (seemai). They follow this rule because the Badagas are very keen on keeping

up their principle of brotherhood. Secondly, Badagas always gives equal importance and

freedom to the rights of Both Men and the Women. In the Badaga community, The girls are not

forced to get married instead the marriage will only take place if the girl agrees. The Badagas

also follow the rule of not receiving dowry from the bride. Abiding by this rule prevents the family from various disputes such as violence, abuse, and harassment that arise because of this social evil in the family. A usual Hindu wedding of the badagas comprises three major events. They are the engagement, the pre-wedding, and the wedding.

During the engagement ceremony, both the families of the bride and the bridegroom come

together and fix the date for the wedding to take place. It is on this day. The family and the

people belonging to the village of the groom's side asks the girl for acceptance of the marriage and they offer the girl certain gifts which are then followed by the engagement feast and the Badaga dance. During the pre-wedding, the Family and the people belonging to the

The groom's side visits the bride and invites her to the marriage. On this day, the elders from the groom’s side accompany the bride to the place where the marriage is going to be held, and they present her ‘Ungaramani’ , a holy chain that has two rings, is gifted to her portraying it as a symbol of welcoming her to their new family. The chain is tied by the eldest woman to the bride. The bride is made to get the blessings of the family members belonging to the

groom’s side and from all the people in the village before six o'clock after which is then concluded by a pre-wedding feast and with the Badaga dance.

The rituals and the rules of the Badaga marriage have been prevailing for more than centuries

with slight changes along with time. The whole Badaga wedding is organized by the groom's family. The whole Badaga wedding is organized by the groom's family. The wedding ceremony happens in the Bridegroom’s place. On the day of the marriage, In the Early morning, the bride and her relatives visit the groom’s place. There the Bride is made to wash her feet and she is been presented with a ‘Malai mani’ a silver chain (A badaga ornament)

The groom usually white shirt and white dhoti whereas the bride wears a saree. During the

wedding, the bride wears a manda pattu which is a white cloth that has been wrapped on the

end. Some brides wear the mundu which is white over the saree which symbolizes the Badaga

community. The Marriage happens in the groom’s house but as the generation passes along

with time, It has become their choice to decide the place of marriage whether in a Kalyana

Mandapam or a hotel. Their traditional way of the events that happen during the wedding is the

Bride’s family heads to the groom’s place then the whole village along with both the families

goes to the temple and “Thalli katudho’’ takes place in midst of everyone gathered there."Thali" Before this ritual takes place, Kanni Saasthura, where The bridegroom seeks the permission of the elders, mainly the Fathers or the Grandfathers from

the bride's side to grace the bride with Kanni and thali. The Kanni is the yellow thread that they use for tying and thali was mainly used by the badagas only with the main motive of showing the outsiders that the girl has been married. then proceeds on with tying the knots. After the happening of this sacred ritual “Hana saasthura’’ takes place. The elders give the couple their token of wealth, usually one rupee and 50 paise coins which as a gift to denote prosperity and to accomplish their traditional values.

The wedding of a pretty couple from Jakanarai. (2017, June 20). BADUGARU/BADAGAS.

https://baduguru.wordpress.com/2017/06/20/the-wedding-of-a-pretty-couple-from-jakanarai/

After the rituals take place, The badagas traditional food "Maduve hittu" is served. Other notable recipes prepared during the marriages are "Thuppadhittu" a sweet dish made out of maida similarly "Avare & Gaasu udakka" meaning the beans and potato curry is also a traditional dish of the badagas without which the meal is incomplete. The Badaga marriage also comprises the Badaga dance where a group of people plays the music and everyone dances for it. In the Badaga community. There are around 2500 Christians who are living apart from the people belonging to the Hindu religion. They are the Christian denominations, mainly the Catholics and the protestants. Each of these denominations abides by its religious customs and traditions during the wedding. The Wedding ritual takes place in a church and at the end of the ceremony as the other religion concludes, they end up with the Badaga dance and the Wedding feast.

One of the most beautiful and delightful event that takes place in all marriages is the Badaga

dance. It is the only cultural dance that is performed in all marriages of different religions. It

shows their culture’s pride and creates a sense of unity. The Badaga dance is performed by

everyone with no age limit. It makes the wedding occasion complete by cheerfully dancing to

the beats.It makes them relish the moment and makes the marriage an unforgettable event.

The Badaga's culture and traditions are simple and unique. Even widow remarriage is not

condemned like the other communities do at some point in time because of the stereotypes of

the society and also of the traditional aspects.The Badagas following their traditional ways of

their culture in every occasion and festival as a family earns respect and admiration.Their

amazing facts about their history and traditions is still not known by many.But people belonging

to this community stands as the backbone to their community from becoming extinct which is

admired and appreciated by the people who know about this unique tribe.

REFERENCES:

Arun, Soumya. “The Wedding of a Pretty Couple from Jakanarai.” BADUGARU/BADAGAS, 20

June 2017, baduguru.wordpress.com/2017/06/20/the-wedding-of-a-pretty-couple-from-

jakanarai/. Accessed 12 Apr. 2023.

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“Badagas of the Blue Mountains.” Badagas of the Blue Mountains, badaga.co/. Accessed 12

Apr. 2023.

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BADAGA CULTURE. www.badugaa.com/2014/12/culture.html. Accessed 12 Apr. 2023.

The wedding of a pretty couple from Jakanarai. (2017, June 20). BADUGARU/BADAGAS.

https://baduguru.wordpress.com/2017/06/20/the-wedding-of-a-pretty-couple-from-jakanarai/

By 20/UCEA/125- Amala