Tradition of Saurath Sabha
Almost every year, during suddha or auspicious days for the settling of marriages, thousands of Maithil Brahmans gather at Sabha Gaachchi in Saurath. The Panjikaras (the person maintaining "Panji" or genealogical record) plays a very important role in fixing of marriage since it is obligatory for every person desirous of marriage to get a certificate called asvajajanapatra (non-relationship) from a panjikara, stating that there is no “blood relationship”, as per the prescribed rules of prohibited degrees of relationship, between the bride and groom. There is a fixed sitting place – dera – for every village in the sabha. The timing and number of days etc. are decided in a general meeting of the scholars and pandits of Mithila in accordance with the traditional astrological almanac– Pachanga.
Usually it is held for seven to 15 days every year or sometimes twice in a year during the auspicious period (months). After reaching at the dera the father or guardian of a bride starts searching for a suitable groom with the help of his relatives and a ghatak (middleman). The negotiation takes place in a complete democratic manner since it is held in open, in sight and hearing of everyone around. The grooms also arrive at their respective deras along with their parents. However, ladies are not allowed in Saurath Sabha.
Read more about this topic: Saurath Sabha
Famous quotes containing the words tradition of and/or tradition:
“If we are related, we shall meet. It was a tradition of the ancient world, that no metamorphosis could hide a god from a god; and there is a Greek verse which runs, “The Gods are to each other not unknown.” Friends also follow the laws of divine necessity; they gravitate to each other, and cannot otherwise.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes—our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking around.”
—Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936)