Col. Macxrnzir on Hindu and Mahommedan Marriage Ceremonies. 175 
mother, holding a lighted lamp in each hand, and attended by women sing- 
ing. She first touches the bridegroom’s forehead with each of the lamps, 
she then holds over his head a cup of consecrated rice and milk, and con- 
ducts him to the Mundoh, sprinkling Ganges water before him as he walks ; 
she places him on his seat and retires to the house. 
The Brahmins of both parties again read the Vedas. The bride is now 
brought to the Mundoh, and seated by the left side of the bridegroom; a 
careful female servant stands behind each of them. Then comes the bride’s 
mother, with her head uncovered, accompanied by other matrons, and hav- 
ing tied the clothes of the bride and bridegroom in a knot, she leads them 
by a coloured thread to the seat in the middle of the Mundoh, by the side 
of a large jar filled with water, in which various colours are mixed, and 
which water had been furnished by both parties on the day they erected 
their respective canopies. On the top of this jar a large lamp with four 
lighted wicks is placed ; the bride’s mother presents the Cusha grass, water 
from the Ganges, and other articles according to her means, together with 
the bride to the bridegroom, who takes hold of her hand, as a token of his 
receiving her as his wife. On the day of the Lagan-Patra, or ceremony of 
fixing the wedding-day, each party had sent a quantity of ears of corn,—the 
grain is now separated from the straw, and being parched is placed on the 
Mundoh ; the bride and bridegroom are conducted seven times round the 
Mundoh, the bride walks first with her hands behind her, and the bride- 
groom follows holding both her hands; each time they walk round the 
Mundoh the bridegroom’s brother scatters the parched grain over them. 
When this ceremony is concluded, the bride and bridegroom are again 
seated, a barber comes forward, and holding a sheet between them, he rubs 
a little moistened red lead on both their heads, he then withdraws the sheet 
and retires. The friends of the parties offer congratulations to each other, 
and mutually exchange betel-leaves ; the bridegroom’s father makes offerings 
to the Brahmins in the name of the bride and bridegroom, and ottar of roses 
and rose water are distributed among all present. ‘The persons assembled 
retire from the Mundoh to the canopy ; the bride is attended by her rela- 
tions, and the bridegroom by his own. From thence the bride’s mother 
conveys the bride and bridegroom to the house to a place prepared for the 
occasion, and which is denominated Cohber, where they put into each 
other’s mouths curds mixed with sweetmeats. The bride’s father gives an 
