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Tirtha

marriage

Vivaah Sanskar

विवाह संस्कारvivāha saṃskāraThe rite that joins two households, witnessed by the sacred fire.

The Vedic wedding rite. Two families are joined before Agni, and the couple walks the saptapadi — the seven steps that complete the marriage.

From
₹51,000
Duration
3 hr – 5 hr
Languages
en · hi · bn · ta · te · mr · gu
Performed as
At Your Home
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Why this ritual

What the rite is for

Of the sixteen samskaras, Vivaah is the one that begins grihastha ashrama — the householder stage of life. The tradition treats the rite as a covenant rather than a contract. Agni is invited as witness, the elders of both families are named in the sankalp, and every later step refers back to that fire.

The structure is deliberate. Kanyadaan is the giving; panigrahana is the taking of the hand; laja homa is the bride's own offering, made with her brother's help, so that her natal family remains present in the rite. Saptapadi is the legal and ritual heart: with the seventh step the marriage is held to be complete, and the vows spoken there ask for nourishment, strength, prosperity, comfort, progeny, seasons in accord, and lifelong companionship.

What a family is doing on the day is placing a private decision inside a public, remembered order. That is the whole point of a samskara.

Textual basis

Where it comes from

The wedding suktas are drawn from the Rigveda (10.85), and the sequence of steps follows the grihya sutras — Ashvalayana in much of the north, Apastamba and Bodhayana in the south, Paraskara in the Gangetic belt. Regional practice varies widely and legitimately: the number of pheras around the fire differs, shilarohan is central in Maharashtra and optional elsewhere, and the Bengali sampradan and shubho drishti have no exact northern equivalent. Our pandits follow the vidhi of the family's own sampradaya and gotra tradition, confirmed with the elders before the muhurat is fixed.

Vidhi

The rite, step by step

Timings are approximate and vary with the pandit's paddhati.

Samagri

What the vidhi calls for

And why each item is used.

  • Mango and palasha samidha

    3 bundle

    The grihya sutras name palasha and mango among the woods fit for a domestic fire. Cut and dried at least a fortnight in advance so the fire stays clean and low.

    Included in the kit

  • Laja — parched rice

    500 g

    Offered by the bride in the laja homa. Parched, not puffed with oil, and kept dry until the moment of offering.

  • Copper kalash with mango leaves

    2 piece

    Filled with water, a coin and akshat, crowned with mango leaves and a coconut. One kalash stands at the centre of the mandap for the length of the rite.

  • Mangalsutra or thali

    1 piece

    Brought by the family, not supplied in the kit. It is placed on the puja thali at the start of the day so that it is present through every mantra.

  • Sindoor in a silver container

    50 g

    Kept covered until the sindoor daan. Families often use a container that has come down from the previous generation.

  • Flat stone for shilarohan

    1 piece

    A smooth flat stone, ideally a household grinding stone. Used only where the family's tradition includes shilarohan.

  • Madhuparka set — curd, honey, ghee

    1 piece

    Mixed fresh in a small bronze bowl at the time of offering. Curd from the household kitchen is preferred where possible.

  • Mauli thread

    20 metre

    Wound around the mandap posts, the kalash and the wrists of the couple. Enough is kept aside for the guests who receive it at the close.

  • Havan samagri mix

    2 kg

    A blend of dried herbs, resins and fragrant woods added to the fire with each ghee offering.

    Included in the kit

  • Cow ghee

    1 kg

    Poured with a wooden sruva at every ahuti. Cow ghee is specified; a fresh sealed tin is opened on the day.

  • Marigold garlands and loose flowers

    12 piece

    For the mandap, the kalash, the jaimala and the elders who bless the couple at the close.

  • Akshat — unbroken rice

    1 kg

    Whole grains only, lightly moistened with turmeric water. Used for the seven heaps of the saptapadi and for the blessing at the end.

Packages

What differs between tiers

Stated plainly: the counts, the number of pandits, and the time it takes.

  • Core Vidhi

    The complete Vedic sequence, performed correctly, without the ancillary rites.

    ₹51,000

    Duration
    3 hr
    Pandits
    2 pandits

    Included

    • Muhurat selected from both birth charts
    • Ganesh pujan, mandap pratishtha and kalash sthapana
    • Kanyadaan, panigrahana, laja homa and saptapadi
    • Havan samagri, samidha and ghee for the vivaah homa
    • Printed vidhi booklet with the vows in Devanagari and Roman script

    Not included

    • Mandap structure, seating and decor
    • Nandi shraddh on a separate day

    at home

  • Full Sanskar

    Most chosen

    The core vidhi with matrika pujan, nandi shraddh and the milni observed in full.

    ₹75,000

    Duration
    4 hr
    Pandits
    3 pandits

    Included

    • Everything in Core Vidhi
    • Matrika pujan and nandi shraddh on the preceding day
    • Milni conducted by name for both families
    • Shilarohan and dhruva darshan where the tradition includes them
    • Running commentary in the family's chosen language
    • Vivaah certificate with gotra, tithi and muhurat recorded

    at home

  • Multi-Day Observance

    Ganesh puja, haldi, mandap muhurat, the wedding day and the griha pravesh of the bride.

    ₹1,51,000

    Duration
    5 hr
    Pandits
    4 pandits

    Included

    • Everything in Full Sanskar
    • Ganesh puja and haldi vidhi at both homes
    • Mandap muhurat and grah shanti before the wedding day
    • Griha pravesh of the bride at the groom's home
    • Dedicated coordinator across all days
    • Full ritual film and photographs of the fire rites

    at home

Who performs it

Pandit requirement

Two to four pandits. The lead acharya must be trained in the grihya sutra of the family's shakha; one assistant manages the fire and one recites alongside.

Questions

What families ask

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We will show you the auspicious windows for this rite, in your timezone and in India’s, and why each one was suggested.

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Traditional guidance, offered for reflection. Not medical, legal or financial advice.