The times, they are a-changin, and with changing times, brides and grooms too have jumped onto the bandwagon of smashing traditional, patriarchal rituals. Two brides in Vijayapura district of Karnataka have become the flag-bearers of new-age wedding customs after they tied mangalsutras (the sacred marital thread in Hinduism) around their respective to-be husbands' necks.
At this unusual wedding, both the brides and the grooms, who belonged to different castes, decided on not having a 'shubh mahurat' (auspicious time) for their wedding ceremony.
The grooms, Amit and Prabhuraj, married Priya and Ankita, according to a 12th century tradition started by Shri Basavanna. Both couples believe in gender equality and wanted to send out a social message with their wedding.
Interestingly, this happened in a Lingayat heartland where, in the 12th century, Basavanna, a community icon, had preached the equality of men and women. The fathers of both the grooms are ardent followers of Basavanna.