Monthly Archives: October 2014

Maheshwari Matrimonial—The origin of  Maheshwari community is Khandela, Rajasthan in Northwestern India.They are a sub-group within the Marwari and Mewari community. The community is relatively small in population but found throughout India.

History of Maheshwari Community—Village Khandela was ruled by King Khadaksen.King Khadaksen was a very good ruler.People of Khandela loved their King very much & lived in peace and harmony.King had twenty four wives.He had everything which he wanted except a son who could take over his thrown when he grew older.King worshiped saints and to get their blessings he organized a big yagya.Being impressed saints and to holy men blessed the king with a son but warned him that the son should not go towards Northern side till his age of sixteen. Shortly,one beautiful day his fifth wife gave birth to a beautiful boy.The child was given the name of Sujan Kuvar.The whole kingdom of Khandela celebrated the birth of Rajkumar Sujan Kuvar.He grew with the training of Administration & Weaponary.

Some years later, young Sujan, came in religious touch with Jain Religion.He was so much impressed that he decided to promote Jainism.He had lost his faith in Hindu Gods & Goddess, he not only destroyed Hindu Temple but also build Jain Temple on that place. One day while he was on his way for hunting with his 72 man (Umraos Rajputs)he came across Sadhus (holyman) at Surya Kund who were performing Yagya.He ordered his man to destroy the yagya immediately.On this act the Sadhus became so much angry that they gave sharapa and converted the Rajputs along with Rajkumar Sujan into stones.This news when came to King Khadaksen, took his life, Kingdom lost their king. Sixteen queens become sati and gave away their life for the king.

Chandravati wife of Sujan Kumar along with the wife of seventy two Rajputs went crying to holy saints to forgive their husbands.Saints gave these wives a Akshay Mantra by which they could impress God Shiva & Goddess Parvati. All wives went into the holy caves and started chanting mantras.Finally Lord Shiva & Goddess Parvati were impressed by their devotion & love for their husbands and gave life back to Rajkumar Sujan & seventy two Rajputs.Getting their life back all of them went to Lord Shiva and prayed to forgive their sin.Lord Shiva asked these men to convert themselves from Rajputs to Vishanavas i.e leave their weapons & convert into businessmen. He blessed these men to form a community with his name as Maheshwari.He declared Maheshwari will have my blessing ,higher growth prospects in business & trade.

Surnames and Gotras hold by Maheshwari Brides and Grooms--

Maheshwari Wedding Rituals—Like most Indian Hindu marriages, Maheshwari wedding is also quite a flamboyant social affair celebrated with a lot of fervor and zeal. Maheshwari family like to find matrimonial alliance strictly within their community but with changing times a number of inter caste marriages have also been observed. These people are in touch with their roots to a certain extent and keep their tradition and culture alive. Most of the rituals followed in Maheshwari marriage are quite similar to that of any Hindu marriage. The marriage ceremonies kick start with the auspicious ceremony of 'Sagaii', a kind of formal engagement where rings are exchanged between the would be bride and groom. Gifts are exchanged and both the families rejoice together. After this the 'Haldi' ceremony takes place separately in the houses of the bride and groom. A paste of turmeric and oil is applied to both the bride and groom which adds to their beauty and makes them glow on their wedding day.

Another important ceremony of Maheshwari marriage is the 'Mehendi' ceremony where henna or Mehendi is applied to the hands and feet of the bride. The mehendi comes from the groom's house and is normally sent by his mother. A little bit of the henna is first applied as 'shagun' after which beautiful and intricate patterns and designs are drawn on the hands of the bride by professionals. In some cases this custom is also followed in the groom's house where just a little bit of henna is applied on the palm of the groom as a part of the shagun.

Apart from all these rituals, the main functions of Maheshwari wedding begin on the actual day of the wedding. The baraat comprising of the groom and his entourage reach the marriage venue headed by a group of band in the evening. There is a lot of excitement in the air. They are then welcomed by the family of the bride. The groom is generally on a horse and his face is partially covered in a veil of flowers called the sehra.

Almost all customs of a Maheshwari marriage are quite similar to any Hindu marriage apart from the 'Mama Phere' ceremony. This takes place after the Jaimala where the bride and groom exchange garlands. In the 'Mama Phere' ceremony the bride takes seven rounds of the sacred fire and the groom sitting on the lap of her maternal uncle. After this the girl is given away by her parents to the groom during the ceremony of 'Kanyadan'.

The wedding rituals of Maheshwari matrimony come to an end with 'Sindurdan' in which the groom applies vermilion in the hair of the bride. After this the newly married bride leaves her parents house in a rather emotional Vidai. She enters the new phase of life with the husband and lives the rest of her life happily.

Marriage in Kalighat Kali Temple—Kalighat is a locality situated in South Kolkata, India Kalighat is also densely populated and vibrant—with a rich history of cultural intermingling with the various foreign incursions into the area over time.The World famous Kalighat Kali Temple dedicated to the Goddess Kali is situated in Kalighat and is regarded as one of the 51 Shakti Peeth of India, where the various parts of Sati’s body are said to have fallen, in the course of Shiva's Rudra Tandava. Kalighat represents the site where the toes of the right foot of Dakshayani or Sati fell. Legend has it that a devotee discovered a luminant ray of light coming from the Bhāgirathi river bed, and upon investigating its source came upon a piece of stone carved in the form of a human toe. He also found a Svayambhu Lingam of Nakuleshwar Bhairav nearby and started worshiping Kali in the midst of a thick jungle.The Shakti here is known as Kalika, while the Bhairav is Nakulesh.It is a very famous place and a pilgrimage for Shakta (Shiva and Durga/Kali/Shakti worshippers) followers within the Hindu religion. The temple is visited by pilgrims from all over India irrespective of sectarian differences. The thousands of pilgrims who flock daily to the Kalighat temple treat Kali very much like a human mother, bringing her their domestic problems and prayers for prosperity, and returning when their prayers are fulfilled to express their gratitude. Their attitude towards the Goddess is guided by their religious traditions and training, their spiritual and intellectual capacities, and the guidance of their temple priests.In Kalighat The Goddess Kali Murti is incomplete. Only the face of the  Goddess Kali was made first. The hands, made of gold and silver, the tongue, the Shiva Murti and all the jewellery were added over the years.On Snan Yatra day,while giving the divine Mother the ceremonial bath, the priests tie their eyes with cloth coverings. On auspicious occasions like Kali Puja,Durga Puja,Poilabaisakh the Bengali New Year day and Sankranti large number of devotees throng the place with offerings.

Sosthi Tala–This is a rectangular altar about three feet high bearing a small cactus plant. Beneath the tree, on an altar three stones are placed side by side – left to right representing the Goddesses "Sosthi", "Sitola", and "Mongol Chandi". This sacred spot is known as Sosthi Tala or Monosha Tala. This altar was constructed by Gobinda Das Mondal in 1880. The place of the altar is the Samadhi of Brahmananda Giri. Here all the priests are female. No daily worship or offering of Bhog (food offering) is done here. The Goddesses here are considered as part of Maa Kali.

Natmondir--  A large rectangular covered platform called Natmondir has been erected adjacent to the main temple,from where the face of the  Ma Kali can be seen. This was originally built by Zamindar Kasinath Roy in 1835. It has been subsequently renovated often.

Jor-bangla—- The spacious varandah of the main temple Facing the Makali is known as Jor Bangla. Rituals occurring inside the sanctum sanctorum are visible from the Natmondir through the Jor-bangla.

Harkath Tala—-This is the spot adjacent to the Natmondir, southwards meant for Bali (sacrifice). There are two Sacrificial altars for animal sacrifices side by side. These are known as Hari- Kath.

The bigger one is for buffalo sacrifices and the smaller one for goats and sheep. The animals are sacrificed with a single stroke of the scimitar and there is very little cruelty to animals when compared to the professional abattoirs.

Radha-Krishna Temple—This temple is known as Shamo-ray temple and is situated inside the temple at the west side of the main temple.There is a separate kitchen for preparation of vegetarian Bhog (food offering) for Radha-Krishna.

Kundupukur—This is the sacred tank situated in the south-east of the temple outside the boundary walls. Present area of the tank is approximately 10 cottahs. In the past it was bigger and called 'Kaku-Kunda'. In 16th century 'Sati-Ango' ( the right toe of Sati) was discovered from this tank.This tank is well known for its power to bestow the boon of a child. The water from this tank is regarded as sacred as that of the Ganges. Efforts at draining the water from the tank for cleaning has failed in the past showing the possibility of a subterranean with Adi Ganga.

Nakhuleshwar Mahadev Temple—-This Siva temple is dedicated to the consort of Maa Kali. It is situated in Haldar Para lane on the opposite side of the temple behind the police station. This temple is also very old and mentioned in the history.

Marriage In Kalighat Kali Temple—Kalighat Kali Temple is also a holy place for marriage.Lots of couples starts their new life in front of Ma Kali with her blessing.The Pandas of Kalighat Temple helps the couples to follow the Hindu marriage rituals and all other formalities. Usually every Newly Married couples like to visit  Kalighat Temple for blessing of MaKali and make their upcoming life happy and prosperous.