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.