Andhra Pradesh is the third largest state of India is known as "Rice Bowl of India" due to its stable economic conditions with good agro-climatic conditions as the region is covered by three main river basins of Pennar, Krishna and Godavari. Hyderabad is the capital and largest city known for its Pearls and Charminar. Vishakhapatnam is home to Eastern Indian Navy command, Vijayawada as major trading center.
Some of the castes form the state are Brahmin, Reddy, Kamma, Arya Vysya, Padmasali, Vaidiki and Niyogi. The marriages and festival celebration are highly influenced by the caste system.
The Telugu Hindu marriage is celebrated over 4-5 days depending on financial and social status of the matrimonial families. Each ceremony carries a lot of religious significance that reflects the culture and custom of the people. The wedding venue looks colorful with flowers and mango leaves decoration.
On marriage day, the families of the Andhra bride and groom welcome all the guests personally with kumkum Tilak. Telugu bride wears red silk sari, put flowers in her hair, adorn with lot of gold and pearl jewelry. Telugu groom is dressed in traditional dhoti and shirt or sherwani. The bride and groom becomes the center of attraction in the entire wedding ceremony with their gorgeous look. The wife is called Ardhangini, a better half of the husband. The women hold a prestigious place in the Telugu community where none of the religious ritual is considered complete if performed by man without the presence of his woman. The wedding cuisine in comprises of special pachadi prepared from several ingredients like neem leaves, jaggery, sugarcane and tamarind. The marriages are worth watching as they happen with lot of grandeur and festival like celebration.
