An artsy guide to Indian weddings and betrothals
Editor’s note: This visual guide to Indian Wedding art was first published on The Heritage Lab—a wonderful resource of stories on cultural heritage, art, museums and lots more. You can find other wonderful essays on art and culture over at their website.
About the lead image: The marriage of Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah and his Hindu wife Bhagmati is a story full of romance and adventure. One day when he was out riding, Qutb Shah spotted Bhagmati, a Hindu nautch dancer. According to local stories, in the duration of their courtship, he commissioned a massive bridge to connect Golconda to Hyderabad to reach her faster! Some stories also say that the name Hyderabad came from Hyder Mahal, Bhagmati’s name after her conversion to Islam. The painting shows them riding to his palace after their wedding.
Weddings have long been a popular theme in Indian art. They not only feature as joyous unions, but also as a celebration of diversity. From divine and royal weddings, to bridal chambers and dance parties, explore some spectacular weddings in Indian art in this visual essay!
The Wedding of Krishna’s Parents: Folio from a Bhagavata Purana Series
Painted in the Guler style of miniature, the painting depicts the wedding of Krishna’s parents, Devaki and Vasudeva. Imagined by the artist to have taken place under a starry night-sky, the scene is illuminated only by the holy fire.
Parvati and Shiva’s wedding
This is a Tanjore style painting depicting the wedding of Shiva and Parvati. Shiva, depicted here with pale skin, holds Parvati's hand under the sacred tree. The celestial attendees at the wedding are Vishnu (behind Parvati), Himavan, Parvati’s father (behind Shiva) and Brahma (seated).
A Muslim wedding ceremony
The painting features a ceremony known as sharbat pilai that takes place after the nikah. Here the women of the bride’s family welcome the groom at the bride’s house and offer him sharbat, a sweet beverage. This is likely a wedding between two affluent families. What elements of the painting do you think convey this?
An Indian Wedding Party
This painting by Eva Roos was first printed in Peeps at many lands. The Gorgeous East: India, Burma, Ceylon and Siam, a guide to the “exotic East” written by Frank Elias in 1913. It is unclear if Roos ever traveled to India herself, but her painting provides a dynamic encounter with an Indian wedding party. The swirling skirts add a rhythmic quality to the piece.
The Bidai Ceremony
This modern day Pattachitra painting from Odisha shows the ceremony of bidai or vidai where the bride leaves her home forever to live with her husband’s family. Here, the bride and groom sit in separate palanquins that form a procession lead by musicians of different kinds. Take a look at Dara Shikoh’s wedding procession here. What comparisons can you draw between the two processions?
Wedding with Brahma in attendance
Brahma seems to be a popular guest depicted in Indian paintings! His presence likely signifies that this is a Brahma Marriage, one of the 8 forms of marriage acknowledged in Hindu religion. It is a “righteous form” of marriage wherein a father weds his daughter to a man of “good conduct”.
The Bride welcomed into the Bridegroom’s house
This watercolour painting shows the groom’s family welcoming the bride to her new house. One of the elder member’s of her family lifts the ghungat (veil) revealing the bride’s beautiful face. The rest of the family watch keenly. The jewellery, either presented to her, or brought with her from her father’s house, is rendered in amazing detail.
A parsee wedding
This is an example of a unique blend of photography and print making. Some elements like the attire of those present at the wedding are painted in, while their faces and the background kept as is on the photographic print. This was a clever technique to maintain accuracy in the depiction of the subject, but also embellish the scene to the patron’s taste. In this parsee wedding, clothing seems to be the preferred ornament! Can you identify any other items that are painted in?
Royal Wedding in a Chamba Rumal
This delicate Chamba Rumal captures different ceremonies in a wedding. At the bottom, the groom is seen entering with his baraat procession in a howdah atop an elephant. On the right, the bride’s family receives and welcomes the baraat. The actual ceremony takes place inside the building where the bride and groom are seated.
The Wedding of Nala Damayanti
The story of Nala Damayanti is one of Hindu Mythology’s most romantic stories. The young couple overcome challenges in their path to love, and eventually end up happily together. At one point in the story, Nala is transformed into a hunchbacked servant to keep him hidden from his enemies. The painting captures the swayamvar (choosing of the groom) ceremony of Damayanti, where Damayanti identifies and marries her lover despite his transformation. Painted by Nandalal Bose, it is an example of the influence of the Ajanta cave paintings in his art.
A Ladakhi Wedding Party
This photograph depicts a Ladakhi wedding celebration full of smiling, joyous faces! The bride and groom, in the center of the photo, are dressed in traditional Ladakhi robes (sulma and goncha respectively). Although the photograph is black and white we can be fairly certain that the bride is wearing the Perak, a bridal headdress that is made of bright turquoise stones. It is often passed down from a mother to her daughter during the time of her wedding.
Wedding of Krishna and Rukmini
Full of romance and adventure, the story of Rukmini and Krishna’s wedding or Rukmini Mangala is a theme that is much beloved by artists. Here Rukmini and Krishna are both dressed in dazzling gold as they perform the wedding nuptials under a canopy of parrots. Does this wedding look similar to Krishna’s parents' wedding? Are there any differences?
Scene Of Hindu Marriage Ceremony
Dhurandar’s watercolour has captured the excitement of the bridal suite perfectly. One can almost hear the chatter and buzz in the room! The wedding is happening within the Prabhu Prathare community of Maharashtra. The Maharashtrian bride, sporting a traditional mundavalya (forehead ornament), looks resplendent in a yellow saree as she chats with her companion on a sofa.
Life and Destiny
Entitled Life and Destiny, Madhu Powel’s painting depicts a couple sitting in the mandap or wedding pavilion. The woman sits on the man’s lap, a pose imitating ancient sculptures of gods and their consorts. What do you think the painting’s title signifies?
A Hindu wedding procession
Rendered with painstaking detail, this painting captures a Hindu wedding procession. The groom is placed right at the centre, riding his horse. The procession is packed with musicians, dancers and attendants who are carrying different ornamental decorations including lights and bouquets of flowers. This is no doubt a grand procession!
Wedding Print of the Maharaja and Maharani of Mysore
This is an oleograph (a print that resembles an oil painting) from the press of the prolific artist Raja Ravi Varma. It depicts the Maharaja and Maharani of Mysore, Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV and Pratapa Kumaribai, on their wedding day in 1900. The print captures the opulence of the Mysore rulers through fine furnishings and dazzling jewellery. The Maharani’s silk saree catches the light beautifully as her pleats pool in front of her legs.
Marriage Ceremony
In this painting, artist K.K Hebbar has captured the Hindu varmala ceremony, wherein the bride and groom exchange garlands. In some varmala ceremonies, a white sheet known as antarpat (used here) is held up between the bride and groom.
Notice the border of musicians at the bottom. Do you think there is a similarity with reliefs found in temples? Compare here!
Advertisement featuring Rama and Sita’s wedding
This print is an advertisement that would have once featured on the packaging of cloth bales. It was designed in India, sent to Britain for printing, and then exported back to India for sale. The top section depicts the divine wedding of Rama and Sita, attended by the dignitaries of the celestial abode.
