The traditional practice, Guer Mahraaz and Doel-e-Khandar, was put into display in Sangerwani village of South Kashmir’s district Pulwama on Sunday, which attracted hundreds of onlookers and nearby villagers.
Irshad Ahmad Cheche, a bridegroom from Cheche Mohalla of Sangerwani rode on a horse to bring his bride, Parveena Akhter, home in a palanquin.
Such marriages, which were popular through the whole of Kashmir decades ago, were famously known as Doel-e-Khandar and the bride Doel-e-Mahren. Now, such marriages persist only in some villages of Kashmir.
A number of people had travelled to Sangerwani, which is around 30 kilometres from district headquarters, to witness this traditional marriage.
Azad Ahmad Wani was one of the spectators who had travelled from a far off village Newa in Pulwama.
He said that he had always heard from his parents about Dol-e-Khandar but had never seen one in his vicinity.
“I came to see this first time in my life,” he said, adding that he was really enthralled the way Dol-e-Khandar is performed.
Doel, known as Zapaan in Kashmiri, is three feet high and three feet wide wooden box structure.
It has a rectangular base of wooden planks fastened on two logs and a vertical casing of iron ropes enclosing a cavity which has an opening serving as a door. The casing is decorated with red coloured cloth and the base with a blanket.
Haji Muhammad Hussain, 70, a resident of Sangerwani said that they had been practising this tradition from the time of their forefathers. However, when it started diminishing in other parts of Kashmir, people now find it “interesting” and witness.
“This is more than tradition to us,” he said, adding that in olden days people had no option than to use Dole and horse because villages at that time had no macadamized roads.
“We have motorable roads these days still we prefer horse and Doel for such marriages where the bridegroom has to travel to small distance”, he said.
In Sangerwani village, the Doel is made by local carpenters who lend it to marrying persons on a rent.
“It is the bridegroom who has to arrange the Dole,” Mohammad Hussain Cheche, another resident of Sangerwani said, adding that the Dole is sent to bride’s house well in advance ahead of bridegroom’s arrival.
In such area, the carpenters these days lend the Doel, charging Rs 400 to 500 a day.
Parveena, the bride said that she always wished to go to her new house in a Doel.
“Sitting in Dole makes you feel special,” she said.
Parveena as per the local traditional permitted only her close relatives to shoulder her Doel.
“Anybody can shoulder the Doel but tradition favours only close relatives,” the residents said.
The peculiarity of this marriage was that males were seen singing. Only males accompany the bridegroom as guests in the marriage party and they sing till entering the bride’s house. (PTK)