Andhra Arya

Traditions

The unique southern flavour of a Telugu Arya Vysya wedding

A Telugu Arya Vysya wedding is something that you have to witness in order to truly appreciate all the unique traditions, the eclectic jewellery, the different decorations, and the people themselves who make these weddings the way they are. Wedding traditions vary greatly from one state to another and from one caste to another. Even within the same religion and caste, geographical location plays a huge role, and a Telugu Arya Vysya wedding is a great example of this fact. The union of two people, and the ceremonies that bind them together for life follow much of the same patterns that any other Indian wedding does, but at the same time the Telugu Arya Vysya Community has made sure that no one who attends their wedding ceremonies forgets just how uniquely different they are.

The simple and opulent jewellery of a Telugu Arya Vysya bride

A simple design and a preference for uncut diamonds are two of the most noticeable things about the jewellery that a Telugu Arya Vysya bride wears on her wedding day. As is tradition in India, the bride is adorned from head to toe in the richest garments and the fanciest jewellery. A studded form of design is most popular among the Telugu Arya Vysya women, and heavy jewellery made from pure gold and adorned with uncut diamonds and several types of gemstones are the most popular on occasions like a wedding. The adornment of the bride starts from her head where her hair is parted from the centre and a beautiful Papidi Billa is placed along that partition in such a manner that the circular bell of the accessory rests just on top of her forehead. Unlike most north Indian brides, a number of Telugu Arya Vysya bride do not wear elaborate head or nose ornament and instead, a simple nose ring known as the Mukku Podoka is worn. Traditional gold Buttalu, or earrings, complete her facial adornment, making her look simple, yet elegant and gorgeous.

Three different types of necklaces are worn by the bride, the Kandabaranam, the Sutralu Golusu, and the Nakshi Haram. While the Kandabaranam is a choker style necklace that wraps tightly around the throat of the bride and is fashioned from gold and gemstones like ruby, the Sutralu Golusu is a much simpler necklace that hangs between the Kandabaranam and the Nakshi Haram. It is the Nakshi Haram that is the real piece of work, and the most prominent jewellery that the bride is wearing. A heavy necklace that has been fashioned from gold and several types of gemstones, it is also often studded with large and rough diamonds.

The upper arms of the bride feature yet another uniquely South Indian jewellery known as the Aravanki, which is a delicately crafted gold arm band that is loosely worn on the upper arm by the bride. The Nakshi Vaddanam, a special gold ornament worn on the belly, completes the adornment of the main body of the bride, leaving only her arms, where she often wears as many as three different types of Gajulu, or Kangan.