Lucknow: The ritual of Kanyadaan is not a necessary tradition for marriage under the Hindu Marriage Act. According to the Act, only Saptapadi is necessary to solemnize the marriage. The Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court has said this while hearing the petition of Ashutosh Yadav. The petitioner had requested to re-issue summons to two witnesses in a criminal case related to marriage. When his request was rejected, a petition was filed in the High Court. On this, the court, citing Section 7 of the Hindu Marriage Act, made it clear that Saptapadi is considered a mandatory tradition. Whether Kanyadaan took place or not is not relevant. Therefore, it is not necessary to issue summons to the witnesses again. With this the court rejected the petition.
what is saptapadi
The Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court has made it clear that a Hindu marriage is not considered complete until the bride and groom jointly take seven rounds of the fire. This is called Saptapadi. It is believed that when the bride and groom take seven rounds, they pray for blessings from Vishnu and Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. It is also believed that tying together during Saptapadi brings togetherness for seven births. There are a total of 38 sections in the Hindu Marriage Act. It was passed by the Parliament in 1955.
what are the seven promises
Seven vows are also taken during the seven rounds of marriage. The first round is food arrangement, the second is power diet and restraint, the third is wealth, fourth is spiritual happiness, the fifth is livestock wealth, the sixth is proper living during the seasons, and the seventh and last round is the wife taking a promise to live with her husband throughout her life. During the rounds, four rounds are made with the bride in front and three rounds with the groom in front.