Commencing a matrimonial relationship between Madiga bride and groom is called Madiga matrimony. Madiga is a Hindu community in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states though a small number of them are found in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. The scope of this article is investigating the origins of the Madigas, their culture and history, marriage rituals and madiga matrimony sites.
Madiga Origin:
As in India there are many castes created based on the occupation, Madiga is a community that historically were cobblers and agriculturists. They are a backward Hindu community exploited by dominant castes for decades. They were not allowed to stay at the center or core region of the villages and restricted entry into temples. Due to this discrimination, majority of the Madigas converted to Christianity though officially categorized under Hindu Scheduled Caste by the stage governments.
In Northern states Madigas are called as Chambhars and Mochu. In Karnataka they have names Arundhatiyar and Gosangi.
Despite being a downtrodden community, in the recent times many of them have earned respectable Government positions by utilizing reservation granted by constitution of India, authored by Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar. Also Madigas have found jobs in IT industry where the discrimination based on one's caste is negligible,
Literacy rate in Madigas is very low. This is one of the reasons Madigas got attracted towards Naxalism and anti-government activities in Telangana and Chattisgarh states. Many of the young people are pampered by political parties for their own gains. In general Madigas are considered brave people.
Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Gurram Jashuva, Gaddar are some notable people from this community.
Madiga Marriage Rituals:
Since majority of this community people have embraced Christianity and ancestrally Madiga is a Hindu community, Madiga marriage rituals are a blend of Hindu and Christian rituals. They conduct the marriage either in a Church or at the house magnificently. In the engagement event bride's family sends Sarees, Thali, Betel leaves and other items to the Grooms family. Nalugu is a ritual in which bride and groom are prepared for the marriage by applying turmeric to their faces,hands and legs. During Nalugu local women sing Christian songs and bless the bride and groom with paddy grains. Once the bride and groom reaches the marriage venue in a vehicle decorated with flowers, the father of the church invites them into the marriage hall. After pronouncing marriage verses and singing songs, the bride and groom take oath to stay together and share happiness and sorrow for the rest of their lives. Groom ties Thali around the bride's neck making her wife from that moment.
The ceremony ends with a great feast to the marriage guests followed by accepting gifts from guests.
Madiga Matrimony For Brides:
Madiga brides prefer to find their life partner in an arranged marriage. They are generally shy due to the family culture they are brought up in. So a bride depends on her parents or siblings to find a suitable groom for her. Madiga matrimony for brides is difficult for educated section of girls as the literacy rate in the community is less and very hardly you find grooms satisfying the matching criteria.
Madiga Matrimony For Grooms:
Madiga groom finds matching girls through matrimonial sites and also through marriage brokers and relatives. Due to the low awareness of matrimonial sites in this community, majority of the marriages happen through relationships. Certainly many of the madiga grooms are well educated nowadays and well settled in different occupations.
Madiga matrimonial sites:
Madiga matrimonial sites like Matchfinder and madigamatrimony.com have really gained popularity in matching eligible Madiga brides and grooms. You can try Matchfinder.in which gives 6 months free membership to registered users. If you like the profiles you can go for the paid membership and start contacting profiles.
Madiga matrimony has become little easy with these two sites and taken away the burden on the parents of bride and groom.
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