Monday night I took my first (in India) air-conditioned bus to Murudeshwar. Overnight buses aren't usually too hot to sleep well on, but they are too loud, bumpy, and windy. The A/C bus took care of all of that with its closed windows and swanky air suspension.
When I arrived in Murudeshwar I called the two of the numbers I was given to contact some of the groom's English-speaking family about accommodations. Both were disconnected so I checked into a muggy room at the RNS Residency, a group of buildings dotting the northern end of the peninsula containing the world's largest statue of Shiva.
Up close the statue appeared to be made out of concrete that had been painted silver. The quality of it and many of the other statues nearby was reminiscent of a miniature golf course, minus the miniature part.
Eventually, I was able to contact the groom through a number he had given me for his non-English speaking uncle. He was in his hometown 20 miles away but was able to set me up with a room in a different hotel. This one was air-conditioned, another first, and I shared it with his cousin and friend. They arrived in the middle of the night after a long, sleepless bus trip. The next morning when they didn't seem interested in any alarms, I started to get a feel for how Indian weddings work.
I had been told that the ceremony was to start at 7 AM, but my roommates didn't even try to wake up until 9:30. We all got dressed and headed for the wedding venue around 10:30. In the main hall hundreds of plastic chairs were being casually filled and vacated by guests that seemed alternately involved in and bored shitless by what was happening on the brightly lit stage. The bride and groom were performing puja after puja, led by an old, shirtless, priestly man in a lungi. There was burning of coconut husks, repetition of prayers, and application of bindis.
After standing around observing this for a bit, I headed downstairs for a catered breakfast of idly and sheera, a sweet dish made with farina. I went back upstairs in time for Muhurta which was at exactly 11:57 AM. This seemed to be the climax of the ceremony and involved throwing rice towards the stage and violent drum beating. And then there was lunch.
Sitting next to me during most of the ceremony was a young boy that had tried to sell me souvenir photos of the Shiva statue on the street the day before. I think he wandered into the wedding hall to cash in on the free meals, but he explained some of the rituals to me, so I didn't out him to anyone.
That's a kurta I'm wearing.
Next time on Sup, India: The bride and I are taken away to the groom's native village in the jungle and I wear a lungi.
I guess I missed how you came to be invited to the wedding and who you knew there that got you invited. ??
ReplyDeleteSorry, but I must've slept since then on my soft, fluffy bed in air-conditioned space in Texas. /g/
What an adventure! The photos are great.