A Nagar wedding has for its ideal the union of Shiva and Parvati. A custom peculiar to it is that of Pallu, constituting stridhan. It is said:
Je bhare gagardi
Te parne Nagardi.
This means that one who wants to wed a Nagar girl must offer a fixed sum- eht exact amount varying according to localcustom- of money termed as Pally. The object in charging this sum is an insurance against ill lich to which the bride may be subject during her lifetime- it is never construed to be a sale or a dowry prevalent in several other Indian communities.
Ganeshpujan, grihashanti, the bridal procession, Kanyadaan, Madhuparka, (gifts of gold ornaments and vessels), oblation offered to Agni, Saptapadi, Dhruva Darshana and lastly the sent-off are the principal marriage rites. All the members of community were fed sumptuously. The betrothal is fixed after comparing the horoscopes of the eligible boys and girls.
A Nagar Brahmin traditionally goes through 24 sanskaras (refinements). However, only four main sanskaras are in vogue today: the tonsure ceremony-mundan, ther sacred thread ceremony- upnanayan sanskar or janoi, marriage and obsequities.
Women observe a variety of vratas or vows. Girls who are between the ages of 7 and 12 observes Gaurivrata or Goryo. They eat food without salt and worship Parvati or Gaurimata. Suryapuja is another vow observed by girls in this agegroup. Girls between the ages of 12 and 16 observe Chandla vrata; they apply saffron marks to the forehead of at least five married women whose husbands are alive.
For married women, there are three main vows. Vatasavitri, which falls on the full moon day of Jyeshtha (June), Jaya parvati, which commences on the thirteenth day of the bright half of Ashadha (August) and kevada trij, which falls on the third day of the bright half of Bhadra pada (September).
During Vatasavitri, women do not eat for the whole day, worship the banyan tree and read in the evening the story of Satyavan and Savitri. There is a fast for the Jaya Parvati Vrata also: on this day Shiva and Parvati are worshipped. This day coincides with the Gauri vrata for unmarried girls. In the observancer of Kevada Trij Vrata, the pandanus (Ketki) is offered to shiva.
During the observance of all the above three vows, women keep a nightlong vigil- jagran, singing songs, playing indoor games or indulging in their favorite pastime. The object of these vratas is dirghasumangalya- the longevity of their husbands.
The death ceremonies have a socio religious bias. Until recently, all members of the caste gathered together for a sympathetic display of sorrow during the entire week, commencing from the second day of the death of a person. The mourning has today taken a somber form and afternoon sessions of the reading of the Gita or the Garuda Purana are held. Prayers and oblations are offered to the departed soul by the eldest son of the deceased on the tenth, elevent and thirteenth days. The eleventh twelthe and thirtheenth days are also observed as days of feast by the entire community.
Nagars have been proverbially known as urbanites (Nagars) since ancient times. Nagar families live together in exclusive localities- you find this even today in towns like Banswara, Ahmedabad, Baroda, Nadiad, Surat, Petlad, Bhavnagar, Junagadh and Rajkot.
An ancient couplet paints the picture of a Nagarwada woman:
Najookdi nar ne nakma moti
Piyu pardesh ni vatadi joti
Lakhti ti kagal ne ganati ti dahda
Ae endhani Nagarwada
(A pearl graces the nose of a delicate woman while she eagerly awaits the return of her beloved who is away. She writes him letters and counts the days till his return).
According to Puranas, the Sudra dynasty of Nandas, which exterminated the Kshatriy Kings of the time, was overthrown by the kautilya or Chanakya (believed to be a Nagar), who anointed Chandragupta (323-299 b.C) as King and thus laid the foundation of Maurya Rule.
Je bhare gagardi
Te parne Nagardi.
This means that one who wants to wed a Nagar girl must offer a fixed sum- eht exact amount varying according to localcustom- of money termed as Pally. The object in charging this sum is an insurance against ill lich to which the bride may be subject during her lifetime- it is never construed to be a sale or a dowry prevalent in several other Indian communities.
Ganeshpujan, grihashanti, the bridal procession, Kanyadaan, Madhuparka, (gifts of gold ornaments and vessels), oblation offered to Agni, Saptapadi, Dhruva Darshana and lastly the sent-off are the principal marriage rites. All the members of community were fed sumptuously. The betrothal is fixed after comparing the horoscopes of the eligible boys and girls.
A Nagar Brahmin traditionally goes through 24 sanskaras (refinements). However, only four main sanskaras are in vogue today: the tonsure ceremony-mundan, ther sacred thread ceremony- upnanayan sanskar or janoi, marriage and obsequities.
Women observe a variety of vratas or vows. Girls who are between the ages of 7 and 12 observes Gaurivrata or Goryo. They eat food without salt and worship Parvati or Gaurimata. Suryapuja is another vow observed by girls in this agegroup. Girls between the ages of 12 and 16 observe Chandla vrata; they apply saffron marks to the forehead of at least five married women whose husbands are alive.
For married women, there are three main vows. Vatasavitri, which falls on the full moon day of Jyeshtha (June), Jaya parvati, which commences on the thirteenth day of the bright half of Ashadha (August) and kevada trij, which falls on the third day of the bright half of Bhadra pada (September).
During Vatasavitri, women do not eat for the whole day, worship the banyan tree and read in the evening the story of Satyavan and Savitri. There is a fast for the Jaya Parvati Vrata also: on this day Shiva and Parvati are worshipped. This day coincides with the Gauri vrata for unmarried girls. In the observancer of Kevada Trij Vrata, the pandanus (Ketki) is offered to shiva.
During the observance of all the above three vows, women keep a nightlong vigil- jagran, singing songs, playing indoor games or indulging in their favorite pastime. The object of these vratas is dirghasumangalya- the longevity of their husbands.
The death ceremonies have a socio religious bias. Until recently, all members of the caste gathered together for a sympathetic display of sorrow during the entire week, commencing from the second day of the death of a person. The mourning has today taken a somber form and afternoon sessions of the reading of the Gita or the Garuda Purana are held. Prayers and oblations are offered to the departed soul by the eldest son of the deceased on the tenth, elevent and thirteenth days. The eleventh twelthe and thirtheenth days are also observed as days of feast by the entire community.
Nagars have been proverbially known as urbanites (Nagars) since ancient times. Nagar families live together in exclusive localities- you find this even today in towns like Banswara, Ahmedabad, Baroda, Nadiad, Surat, Petlad, Bhavnagar, Junagadh and Rajkot.
An ancient couplet paints the picture of a Nagarwada woman:
Najookdi nar ne nakma moti
Piyu pardesh ni vatadi joti
Lakhti ti kagal ne ganati ti dahda
Ae endhani Nagarwada
(A pearl graces the nose of a delicate woman while she eagerly awaits the return of her beloved who is away. She writes him letters and counts the days till his return).
According to Puranas, the Sudra dynasty of Nandas, which exterminated the Kshatriy Kings of the time, was overthrown by the kautilya or Chanakya (believed to be a Nagar), who anointed Chandragupta (323-299 b.C) as King and thus laid the foundation of Maurya Rule.
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