The Washington herald., 1913-09-23
CCOpynsht. 1915. by A. D. JaoObsOu-l

In strict privacy the wedding took
place in London of Princess Indira,
daughter of the "Gaekwar'' Of Baroda.
to the Maharaja Kumar Jitendra Nara
| yam. of Cooch BehaF. Family reasons
made a restricted ceremony desirable.
| There were three distinct rituals; that
Of The Brahmo religion being observed
at buckingham Palace Hotel, where the
| first and third ceremonies took place,
after the Maharanee of COoch Behar,
mother of the bridegroom, arrived. She
was wearing a magnificent Eastern robe
Of white silk. bordered with gold, her
head draped in a filmy gauze scarf. The
| first ceremony was the admission of the
bride into the Brahmo religion, which is
the creed of the bridegroom.
| Prince JitendTa, young man of
| twCnty-siX. wearing a lounge tweed suit,
motored to the hotel. Just before noon
the bride appeared in the hotel doorway.
She wore a European dress of rose pink
Crcpe-de-chine. with fine lace vest and
mOire hat to match the dress. Her only
ornament was long platinum and gold
chain, and on her tiny feet were white
kid boots. laced sandal fashion with
| white satin ribbons. She was accom-
panied by her English girl companion.
The two ladies left the hotel in a mo-
| tor car. Their destination was the Pad
dington Registry Office. where the bride
groom had been waiting.
In the afternoon the bride and bride
groom and about thirty guests attended
the wedding reception at the residence
OF the Maharanee Of COoch Behar. the
bride having changed her bridal gown
for becoming Indian robe Here the
ancient custom OF amounting the heads
OF the married pair with oil took place.
Pans OF beaten brass and copper, spe
Cially brought from India, were filled
with oil, and one was handed to each
guest. The wedding cake was cut by
the bridegroom. who used the state
sword of COoch Behar.
4 wedding among Brahmins. as carried
out in India, is a matter of the most Ella
borate ceremonial, and apart from the
preliminary observances, which last
three days. the marriage ceremony itself
extends over five days.
1t is on the ''muhurta," or first day
that the most important and solemn
ceremonies take place. Among the OBJ
seryances is the invocation to ances-
tors, in which the couple about to be
married are seated on an earthen dais
having on each side of them their
fathers and mothers, all with their
faces turned toward the east The
father of the bride rises, places a
quantity of rice in metal dish, and
on this a cOcoanut. died yellow, three
areca nuts in their shells, and five
other without their shells. Then, TAX
ing one of the nuts in one hand and
the metal dish in the other. he re-
peats three times, in a loud voice. the
names OF his father, his grandfather,
and his great-grandfather. Each time
he pronounces the names he raps the
copper dish three times with the areca
nut, and invokes his ancestors by name
to be present during the five days of
the marriage feast, preside at the fes-
tivity. and grant to it a happy termi-
nation Fire is then brought and con-
secrated, and various sacrifciaI offer
ings are made.
The invocation of the eight divine |
guardians Of the eight corners of the !
world follows; then comes the inau-
of the tutelary diety and the |
father of the girl performs homage to |
Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra, to the !
eight gods that guard the eight COM !
pass points of the world, to the eight |
Nasus, and 10 Indra. mentioning the
eight gods by name. Great care is taken |
not TO let the sacred fire go out dur
ing the ceremony; il would be con-
sidered a bad omen if by neglect or
some other cause il should be extin-
guished.
The ''muhurta" is the most essential
ceremony of the wedding. After sac
rihce to Vigneshwara, the bride and
bridegroom are seated on the earthen
iats, their faces to the east, while the
attendant women proceed with the
Young peoples toilet, which is of the
most elaborate and sumptuous charac-
er. The bridegroom dresses as a pill