Why Was Sobhita Dhulipala Bathed During This Pre-Wedding Ceremony?

If the endless stream of updates from conveniently loose-lipped sources and ‘leaked’ details were not enough to make us excited about the upcoming nuptials of actors Sobhita Dhulipala and Naga Chaitanya, the photos from their pre-wedding ceremonies would do the trick.

The couple hard launched their relationship back in August with an engagement announcement and are gearing up to tie the knot in the coming week.

Sobhita and Chiatanya’spre-wedding ceremonies began with theGodhuma Rayi Pasuppu Danchadamceremony, where the women of the house gather to pound turmeric and officially kick off the festivities. Photos from their Pelli Koduku/ Kuthuru and Kuralluceremony recently surfaced online.

In the photos, Sobhita is seen sitting in a big ornate tub, wearing a yellow sari, as people pour water containing rose petals and tulsi leaves over her. This ritual is known as the Mangala Snaanam or the purification bath. Curious what that’s all about? Read on...

What Is 'Mangala Snaanam'?

You don’t have to be a certified wedding enthusiast to know that the main wedding ceremony is preceded by a ceremony where the bride and groom are adorned with a turmeric paste to enhance their natural glow ahead of the wedding. It’s known by many names across the country, the most prominent one being the North Indian iteration ‘Haldi’. It’s also known as Pithi, Tel Baan, Gaye Holud, Ubtan or Manjha in different regions of the country. In Telugu weddings, the ceremony is called Pelli Koduku/ Kuthuru and Kurallu.

The core concept is the same. Whether you’re a bride from Punjab or Telangana, your relatives will smear turmeric paste on you to ward off evil spirits and attract prosperity. The fact that turmeric naturally contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties is a bonus if you want to glow on your wedding day.

So, it’s highly likely that Sobhita and Chaitanya’s loved ones gathered together to prepare Naluga, a paste that’s usually made of turmeric that was pounded during the aforementioned Godhuma Rayi Pasuppu Danchadam ceremony and aromatic oils. This is followed by the bathing ceremony that got all of us here: the Mangala Snaanam.

The bride and groom are bathed with water containing rose petals, turmeric pods and tulsi leaves. Traditionally, this is followed by Kalyana Thilakam(an auspicious V-shaped pattern on the forehead)  and Dishti Chukka(a black dot to ward off the evil eye) being applied to the bride-to-be. This ritual bath is supposed to wash away negativity and impurities from the past so that the couple can start afresh after they’re married.

Same Ceremony, Different Names

While each region of the country has a version of Pelli Koduku/ Kuthuru and Kurallu and Mangala Snaanam as a part of their pre-wedding ceremony line-up, the Parsi ritual ofSupra nu MuratandNahanis one that comes very close to its Telugu counterpart.

In this ceremony, four married women take turns exchanging the Supra (a special bundle containing betel leaf, betel nut, turmeric, dates, and a piece of coconut) between them as they sing ritual songs. A fifth woman sits in the centre with a pestle and dry turmeric. After the exchange of the Supra is completed seven times, the other women join the one in the centre to beat the turmeric with milk to create a paste which is then applied to the bride and groom. This is followed by the Nahan, a ritual bath similar to the Mangala Snaanam.

The Assamese pre-wedding ritual Pani Tula is also one on the same lines. Women of the house, of both the bride and groom’s families, go to a river near their home to collect water as they sing folksongs. They walk back to the house without looking back. This water is then used to perform the Mangala Snaanam-style ritual bath after the Nuoni (or Haldi).