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Adoption
in Rajasthan
Adoption is a common family practice in Rajasthan. Those who
do not have male children usually want to adopt a male child
to continue their line of succession. In Rajasthan, the Rajas
and Maharajas used to adopt male child and make them their
successor with the consent of the British Viceroy in India.
Most of the Maharajas of Jaipur are the adopted sons. The
ceremony of adoption is quite simple. The elders of the family
and community assemble at the adopter's residence. They become
the panch (elders of the family) at this ceremony. In their
presence, the adopted boy is covered with vermilion and a
coloured turban is placed on his head.
Religious Ceremonies in Rajasthan
The religious ceremonies starts from the conception, passes
through birth and marriage, and continues even after death.
The people consider barrenness as a great misfortune for a
family so offerings are made to gods, treatments are taken
from wizards, talismans are worn around necks and many other
ways are used to have a child. Once the pregnancy is
established, all precautions are taken to protect the mother
from evil influences like charms are fastened round the neck
and waist and a knife is put under her pillow at night. She is
not allowed to go near mahua, khakra or khejara tree where
spirits are believed to reside. Various religious ceremonies
begins and women sing songs specially meant for such an
occasion, some describing the changing behavior and liking of
a pregnant woman. During the pregnancy period the woman is
given some butter oil to drink to facilitate the delivery. A
cow dung cake is kept burning constantly, into which drops of
butter oil and some incense is cast from time to time and
offerings are made to gods to ensure a safe and easy child
birth. Certain promises are made that if the child is safely
born the parents will take the infant to the deity and offer
obeisance in person by shaving off the hair on head of the
baby. If the birth pains are excessive or unbearable, the
wizard's help is taken. Many women start wearing various
charms as prescribed by wizards as soon as they realize that
the pregnancy has occurred.
When the child is born, its birth is announced by the wife of
the family barber or by the senior relatives or close friend.
The naval cord of the child is cut with a scythe and the child
is rubbed with wheat flour and given a bath. The cord and the
placenta are buried carefully by the new father’s sister to
prevent their coming in the possession of any animal, evil
spirit or magician. The women ties strings of mango leaves at
the doors of their house and with the help of cow dung or red
earth draws a swastika, a symbolic representation of Sun, as a
sign of good wishes and good news. The woman is given a
partial bath after the delivery. On the sixth or seventh day,
she is given a regular bath and dressed ceremoniously and is
brought out from the delivery room with the baby by the
younger brother of the husband to worship the Sun. The baby is
massaged with oil and kajal is put on the eye-line and a red
or blue string is tied round its waist. Both of them are are
then taken in a procession to the village well for worship
called jalwa. After the child's birth various ceremonies are
performed like the Namkaran or Naming Ceremony and Mundan or
Jaroola or Head Shaving Ceremony.
Namkaran or Naming Ceremony
The Namkaran ceremony is performed either on the eleventh or
on the one hundred and one day after the birth of the child.
The family priest is invited to perform the ceremony. He
recites mantras from the Vedas and gives his blessings to the
child. The family deity is also worshipped. A name is given to
the child on this day. The children are usually named after
gods and goddesses. The women of the family and the locality
assemble, sing songs and offer their good wishes to the child.
Often, the first child is named as Jeewa or Amra and Jeevi or
Jeevni, Bhooli and Bhoondi. The children born to parents after
they have lost quite a few babies are also given some names
like Kachra or Kachri. Sometimes the parents who are blessed
with a child after so much time, get the baby’s nose pierced
and name it as Nathu or Nathi and cover it with the old
garments received from the neighbours. Mangya, Rarha, Kajor,
Ghasi, Chhaju and Ladhya are some other names given by parents
to the children who are born after long time.
Mundan or Head Shaving Ceremony
The Mundan or jadula ceremony is performed in the family when
the male child is about two to three years old. It is believed
that the hair on the head of the boy, when he is in the womb,
is inspire and therefore should be shaved off. On an
auspicious day, the head of the boy is shaved with the
chanting of Vedic mantras. The village barber first worship
his razor and then proceeds to shave the infant’s head leaving
a lock of hair. In most of the communities, the bunch of hair
at the top of the head is left from cutting. Sometimes this
ceremony is performed by some of the families in their
ancestral temple. In various other communities, the ear lobes
of the children are generally pierced when they are about five
years old by the village goldsmith. The left nostril and upper
rim of the ears are also pierced in the girls.
Wedding in Rajasthan
If there are two families with intense relationship, and the
wives become the pregnant during the same period, then an
agreement is made between the parents that if the children
born are of opposite sex, they would be married to each other.
The infant marriage, a social evil which was once widely done
in the villages is still done in various communities. Akhateej,
the third day of the brought half of the month of May, is
considered as the most auspicious day for the wedding. The
weddings are generally held on Dev Uthani Gyaras, Bharla Naumi,
Dhulandi, Basant Panchmi and Janmashtami as no priest or
astrologer is required to be consulted for the marriage.
Whereas, a pandit is usually consulted to recommend an
auspicious time for the event. The auspicious time, called the
mahurat, is worked out by finding the most favourable
alignment of the lunar phase with the solar cycle and the
conjunction of the nine planets.
The various ceremonies in a marriage generally starts with a
ceremony called sagai when the village barber, who may be
accompanied by some near relatives, proceeds to the boy’s
residence, usually in a nearby village, along with some money
to be presented to the boy in the presence of people invited
to witness the function. The boy’s father then sends some
clothes and a set of bangles called chura for the girl. Later
a date is fixed for the wedding, and a turmeric coloured
letter called lagan or peeli chitthi, is sent to the boy’s
home, through the barber informing about the mahurat and read
before the invited guests. Wedding atmosphere then prevails in
both the families and women assemble and sing songs of
marriage describing the valour of the boy and the beauty of
the girl.
After a ceremonial bath on the wedding day the bride groom is
adorned with a special red or pink colour dress – a long
jacket called angarkha, the tight pyjamas or a dhoti, a turban
mounted with a Kalgi, and ornamented shoes called pagarkhi. A
piece of red cloth is tied to the waist of the boy, and its
free end holds a coconut. Another piece of pink cloth is
bordered with lace and carried by the boy over his shoulders
which is joined with the odhni, the veil of the bride, when
the marriage ceremony takes place. At an auspicious time, the
baraat leaves for the bride’s place. As the marriage party
prepares to leave for the bride’s place, the mother of the boy
comes forward and publicly suckles the bridegroom in a
ceremony called boba dena. The party is received on the
outskirts of the village by close relatives of the bride and
lodged in a procession to the residence of the village potter,
to worship wheel and to fetch basan, bevra and kalash required
for the marriage rituals. The bride’s mother heads the
procession on its way back holding the kalash in her hands
followed by five suhagin carrying the other earthen vessels on
their heads. Passing through the janwasa, women sing a song
noted for its melodic quality, called jala. When the party
reaches the bride’s house, an important ceremony takes place.
The bridegroom touches toran, a wooden frame, which is fixed
on the main door of the bride’s place with his ceremonial
sword, sitting on the horse.
According to Rajput tradition, mandap, the wedding canopy is
decorated with the family weapons and processions are held,
which people other than their own kith and kin are not
permitted to witness. The phera ceremony conducted by a priest
in the presence of the sacrificial fire then takes place when
the bridal couple goes round the fire seven times, where the
bride lead the first three round. After a sacrificial fire,
the bride changes her seat from the right to left of the
bridegroom. After some other small ceremonies the bridegroom
returns home with the bride. |
