14 DAY TRIAL // An unusual wedding ceremony was held in India on Monday, April 14, when a cow and a bull have been married off in a lavish celebration that cost £10,000 (nearly $16,800 or €12,150).
Sacred cow Ganga and bull Prakash were united in marriage during a Hindu ceremony held near Indore in Madya Pradesh. According to the Mirror, more than 5,000 people from nearby villages turned up to witness the moment when the animals got hitched during the symbolic ritual.
Ganga's guardian, Gopal Patwari, organized the special nuptials on advice from holy men to save the state's harvest from a “natural disaster.”
“Natural calamities like hailstorms and heavy rain occurred in nearby areas, destroying their crops,” Parwari said. “To prevent this from happening to our villages we organized this wedding on the advice of Sadhus and holy men. We have been told this will maintain peace in our village.”
The wedding took two months to organize and cost £10,000 ($16,800 or €12,150) – half the cost of the average British wedding. No less than 10,000 residents from three closely connected villages received invitations and were encouraged to donate money for the ceremony.
Given that most of the local people are farmers who grow wheat, beans, barley, and cotton, they were motivated to contribute because they heavily depend on a good harvest to survive.
The marriage ceremony included all of the traditional rituals associated with a Hindu wedding. Cow Ganga, who is considered a holy animal in the Hindu religion, showed up dressed in a red custom-made bridal saree. Her outfit was accessorized with jewels, dyes and a garland. Prakash, on the other hand, arrived in a decorated bugee and draped in a multicolored sherwani and orange turban.
As her guardian, Mr. Patwari gave Ganga away at the beginning of the ceremony; then a Hindu Sadhu performed all the traditional rituals, including Haldi, Ganesh Pooja, Mandap and Fera – where the newlywed couple are walked around a sacred fire to affirm their marriage.
“From here on we hope Ganga and Prakash lead a happy life together, just like a normal man and wife. They will go on and have children who will be happy and prosperous,” Mr. Patwari said, who seemed ecstatic after the animals were pronounced husband and wife.
Let's hope the extravagant wedding will really bring good luck to villagers in Indore and will protect their crops from bad weather.
