A few rituals

This past St. Patrick's day was spent in Toronto with Mallar's parents. While our time together did not include green beer and leprechauns, the Chakravartys did have an evening of special Hindu traditions planned in honour of the recent marriage. Mallar's mother had laid out a beautiful blue silk saree with gold embroidery for me to wear along with jewelery and bindi. She helped me get dressed (thankfully) and then the Chakravartys took me to a beautiful temple just outside the city of Toronto.
The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is a new temple. Using Italian marble, Turkish limestone and Indian pink stone, the Mandir was hand-carved into 24,000 pieces by skilled craftsmen in India and then transported and reassembled in Toronto. It is quite an impressive construction.


Mrs. Chakravarty wanted to offer a puja while we were there and so we sought out the altar of Shiva, Parvati and Ganesh for a blessing. Mrs. C then placed a loha around my wrist. Bengali women wear the traditionally iron bangle (loha means iron) as a symbol of the strength of their marriage. These days the bangle is coated in gold to look more attractive.

Back at the Chakravarty home, the rituals continued. To begin with, I ate three spoonfuls of a traditional rice pudding dish as Mr. Chakravarty blew into a conch. Apparently, I ate out of the same silver bowl Mallar did at his first solid food ceremony. Mr. Chakravarty sprinkled husked rice on the top of my head in a blessing tradition and also marked my forehead with vermillion. The wearing of vermillion by Hindu women (in their hair parting) is seen as a visible sign of their desire for their husbands' longevity.
There are numerous rituals in a traditional wedding ceremony that we did not attempt (as Mallar was not with me on this visit and much of what did happen was planned just a few days before I arrived). It was a very special experience nonetheless, and it made me feel very much welcomed into the family.