In a remarkable and unconventional wedding ceremony that has become the talk of the region, a bride in Odisha’s Keonjhar district arrived at the groom’s house with a grand musical procession and, after the marriage rituals, took the groom back to her parental home on Thursday.

Also Read: IndiGo flight cancellations: Newly-married Bhubaneswar couple forced to attend own reception virtually

The rare wedding took place in Chamunda village under Telkoi block and has drawn widespread attention for reversing traditional Hindu marriage customs.

Traditionally, in Hindu weddings, the groom travels with a procession to the bride’s house, where the marriage is solemnised before the bride departs to her husband’s home. However, this wedding turned every custom upside down in a symbolic and socially significant way.

The rare marriage was arranged between Basant, son of Panchu Pradhan from Chamunda village, and Lakshmi Dehuri, daughter of Raya Dehuri from Banspal block.

Since Lakshmi’s family has no son, both families had initially agreed that Basant would stay at his in-laws’ house as a resident son-in-law after marriage. Although the engagement was completed smoothly, Basant’s father was reportedly uncomfortable with the idea of directly leaving his son at the bride’s house after the wedding.

To resolve the matter, both families mutually decided that the bride would instead arrive at the groom’s home in a ceremonial procession, marry Basant there, and later take him to her parental house.

On the wedding day, Lakshmi arrived in a decorated vehicle accompanied by DJ music, lights, relatives, and dancing guests. Basant waited for the bride in a beautifully decorated wedding altar at his parents’ house while priests conducted the marriage according to traditional Vedic rituals.

What made the ceremony even more unique was the reversal of the dowry custom. Instead of the bride receiving gifts for her new household, the groom was sent off with furniture, kitchen utensils, household essentials, and other items generally gifted to brides during farewell ceremonies.

Family members said they treated Basant’s farewell in the same way a bride is usually bidden goodbye after marriage. Even the officiating priest stated that it was the first time in his life he had conducted such a wedding, calling it one of the most unusual yet culturally respectful ceremonies he had witnessed.

The extraordinary marriage has now become a major topic of discussion across Telkoi block, with many praising the families for challenging long-standing traditions while maintaining the sanctity of the wedding rituals.

“I told them I will get the boy married. My son’s in-laws told me that if I get the boy married, then I will have to leave him and return home. This initially made me a bit upset. When they stuck to their conviction, I had to agree to their proposal. I’m already old now; it will be something sad for me. What else to do?” the groom’s father expressed to OTV.