Daijiworld Media Network - Beltangady (MS)
Beltangady, Apr 30: The temple town of Dharmasthala was enveloped as a wedding home on Sunday, Apr 29. The occasion was the 47th annual free mass marriage ceremony. At the chime of 6.40 pm, on the auspicious muhurtha of Godhooli Lagna, as many as 131 couples tied the knot in the midst of chanting of hymns and blowing of the holy trumpet.
Dharmadhikari of Dharmasthala D Veerendra Heggade distributed saree and blouse piece to the bride and Dhoti, shirt and shawl to the bridegroom since the morning of Sunday. The couples took rounds of the temple at 5 pm in a grand procession and entered Amruthavarshini Sabha Bhavan hall. There the 'Mangalsutras' were distributed by Veerendra Heggade, Hemavathi Heggade, cine actor Sudeep and other distinguished guests.
Oath taken by the couples
"We, who have bound in the holy union of marriage, at the auspicious muhurtha at Dharmasthala will live till the end of our lives as companions in Dharma, Artha and Kama without deceiving one another and without falling prey to any vices. We promise this in the holy presence of Lord Sri Manjunatha Swami and honourable Heggade," was the oath taken by the couples.
After the solemnization of marriage, the newlywed couples had food at the Annapoorna Chathra and proceeded to their respective native places.
Compatibility is the key to happy married life
Dharmadhikari D Veerendra Heggade, who wished the newlywed couples said, "It is really appreciable that 23 couples have had inter-caste marriages. Due to various reasons, it is difficult to get married after a man or woman reaches relatively old age. The couples have to lead their married life with love, faith and mutual trust. Divorce is not the solution. Sanctity of marriage and respect for life need to be safeguarded."
Cine actor Sudeep in his address to the gathering said, "The love, faith and respect shown by Kannadigas is my treasure. If the fans forget the artistes, then the artiste will die. The compliments given by Dharmadhikari, after watching my movie is the biggest respect I have got,"
Sudeep also appreciated the oath taking by the newlywed couples. He said that he witnessed this for the first time.
Manoj Kumar Mehta, joint president of Birla group greeted the couples.
Hemavathi V Heggade, D Surendra Kumar, D Harshendra Kumar, Priya Sudeep and MLA Vasant Bangera were present.
Shubachandraraja welcomed the gathering. Vasanth Bhat proposed the vote of thanks. Shruthi Jain Ujire and Srinivas Rao Dharmasthala compered the programme.
Highlights
*Including the 131 couples who tied the knot this year, in total 12160 couples have tied the knot in free mass marriage in Dharmasthala
*Among the 131 couples married this year, 29 are from scheduled caste and 23 are from inter-caste.
*A special dais was provided for the 12101st couple Gururaja Kannala (soldier) and teacher Roopa Bhangi
*Couples who are inter-caste are being provided with marriage registration certificate from the department in order to avail the facilities provided by the government
*Among the couples, five were from the state of Kerala, 28 were from Udupi district, 10 belonged to Dakshina Kannada district and 17 were from Shivamogga.