The Kerala-Tamil Nadu border point, near the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary in Idukki district, seems to be emerging as a venue for interstate weddings. After playing host to an interstate wedding on June 7, three more weddings were conducted there. All three weddings were conducted on Wednesday, with an interval of 20 to 40 minutes.
With no priests or any extensive religious rituals, health and excise department officials led the weddings. In all three cases, the brides were from Kerala’s Munnar and Marayoor regions in Idukki, while the grooms were from Tamil Nadu. While two weddings were conducted in Christian traditions, the third wedding was according to the Hindu rites.
On Wednesday, Sukanya, a native of Kanthalloor village, got married to Manikandan, a native of Kurichikkotai in Thiruppur district, at 9.15 am in front of the excise department.
Sukanya and Manikandan
A few minutes later, around 9.40 am, Vedakani (from Kanthalloor village) and Muthuraj (from Thiruppur district), got married per Christian beliefs.
Vedakani and Muthuraj
At 10.30 am, Kasthuri (from Devikulam hill station) got married to Nirmaraj (from Chennai’s Meenambakkam).
Kasthuri and Nirmaraj
“Before each wedding, we sanitised the venue as well as the garlands, as per the protocols," Arun Kumar, Junior Health Inspector at Kanthalloor Primary Health Centre, told TNM.
“These weddings were held without extensive religious functions. The family members from Kerala and Tamil Nadu witnessed the wedding standing in their respective borders," said Arun Kumar, who oversaw the three weddings.
Since one groom came from Chennai, where the COVID-19 cases are significantly high, the border officials took more precautions and did not allow any contacts between both the families.
“After the weddings at the border point, the brides were directly sent towards the Tamil Nadu border," added the official.
The first wedding at this border point near the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary was held on June 7. The bride, Priyanka, from Munnar, and Robinson, from Sharavanampetti in Coimbatore, got married in a similar setting.
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