Silvester D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Oct 15: We know about living people getting married. Rarely we hear about marriages of girls with banana trees to ward off evil. There are also incidents in which marriages of frogs, donkeys etc are organized to appease the gods in an effort to get rainfall.

However, this might make you miss a heartbeat. Just like humans, male and female spirits of the dead become groom and bride and turn into man and wife at a procedure conducted as per Hindu customs. All formalities of a marriage are followed meticulously at a programme which has been regularly held since centuries at a spot near Koodli Lord Janardhana temple near Barkur in the taluk.

Many might just dismiss the idea, pointing out that the world has become scientifically advanced. However, this has not shaken the deep-rooted faith of those who swear by the efficacy of this ritual. They do not want to get bogged down by questions about the relevance of these procedures.

The above temple is backed by a history spanning over a thousand years and people say the presence of the divine here has been repeatedly proved through different incidents. There are several stone edicts in which the lofty stature of the temple have been hailed. Procedures aimed at providing salvation for the spirits that are said to have remained attached to material world even after death and hence are lingering around, post-funeral rituals, and marriages of the spirits etcare conducted at this spot.

There is a spacious temple pond in front of the temple, which was built by the erstwhile kings. Although the pond is in a dilapidated state now, people pledge by the sublimity of this pond. Marriages of spirits is conducted on the edges of this pond. A number of believers come to this spot every new moon day to conduct marriages of spirits, and to offer prayers to release spirits of the dead from their materialistic bonding and liberate them.

There are some who believe that children who die before growing up, or before their marriages are performed, need to be put through the process of marriage. There is a belief that whenever people in such families reach marriageable age, the spirits of the dead from such families who have not been able to attain salvation, create problems for the concerned. The spirits of the dead men acquire the form of 'Pretha' while the girls become 'Kanyastree', many in the coastal region of the state firmly believe. To break these spirits free, their marriages are performed.

The people who are interested in performing the marriage of a 'groom' spirit from their family are obliged to hunt for a spirit that is eligible to become a 'bride' for their groom. Both families have to then concur to this relationship. Just like the real life alliances, caste, Gotra, and astrological parametres will have to be matched. For some spirits, there is a need to provide them with holy bath on three consecutive new moon days before they are ready for marriage. Then the marriage is fixed for a specific new moon day. If at the end of efforts, the concerned are unable to find a match, the vacant spot is occupied by 'Kalpravriksha' plant for the sake of this procedure.

All the customs and procedures of Hindu marriage are performed just like a normal marriage here, except the process of giving away the bride to the groom by pouring holy water (Dhaare). While Karimani, bangles, sari, blouse, comb etc are brought for the 'bride', the 'groom' would be gifted with white cloth, shawl etc. In the past, people brought cheaper things because of the financial constraints, while at present there are families which bring costly clothes, shirts, etc.

The entire marriage process is put through in about 150 minutes. As per belief, this marriage has to be solemnized before sunset. Experienced religious scholars conduct this marriage, and every marriage of spirits needs two to three Purohits.

The common attribute one witnesses among the people getting these marriages performed is their undying faith in it. They are backed by a deep-rooted belief which keeps egging them to conduct this procedure and get rid of the underlying feeling of guilt. People also come from other parts of the state to this place to get these marriages performed. These marriages and other spirit-related rituals are performed on all new moon days of the year except the month of Ashadha.

Trustee of Lord Janardhana temple, Satyanarayana Udupa, says that this custom has been in vogue since times immemorial. He recollects that his grandfather and great grandfather too used to perform these rituals. At present, the procedures are held under the directions of his brother, Ganapati Udupa. He stresses that the Purohits here have never insisted on anyone to perform marriages of spirits, but that they are obliged to meet the needs of people who approach them to get their beliefs fulfilled. Many say that this is far from glorification of the faith, and that a system created to meet the inner urge of the people to nurture the belief system that has been passed on to them through generations, and enable them to perform the rituals in tune with their faith.

The concerned have in their record, a letter written on a two paise postal letterhead dating back to the year 1830, requesting the Purohits to perform marriage of spirits! This proves that the procedure was being held even long before that period.