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Sobhita Dhulipala-Naga Chaitanya's pre-wedding festivities begin with Pasupu Danchadam ceremony; what does it entail?
Sobhita Dhulipala and Naga Chaitanya's pre-wedding festivities have begun with an elegant Pasupu Danchadam ceremony; here's what it entails
Sobhita Dhulipala, who recently got engaged to Telugu cinema star Naga Chaitanya, has just released a lovely series of pictures from her much-anticipated pre-wedding ceremonies. “Godhuma Raayi Pasupu Danchadam 🦜🪷♥️ And so it begins!” she captioned the post. This year has been significant for Sobhita, especially with her show The Night Manager, being the only Indian show across 14 categories to qualify for an Emmy nomination.
What is Pasupu Danchadam?
Pasupu Danchadam, also known as Pasupu Kottadam, is a traditional Telugu pre-wedding ceremony that marks the beginning of wedding festivities. Very similar to the Haldi ceremonies you see in North Indian weddings also known as, this ceremony also uses turmeric to purify the couple before marriage. On this auspicious occasion, homes are adorned with banana plantains and vibrant flowers, and a Ganesh Puja is performed in the morning. After the installation of the Godhuma Raayi which is done in an auspicious time, the groom’s family initiates this event, followed by the bride’s family.
During the ceremony, the groom’s mother or an elderly female relative first offers Thamboolam (a traditional gift of betel leaves and nuts) along with a coconut to a grinding stone. Married women then take turns grinding turmeric roots into a fine powder. This turmeric powder will be used during the bride and groom's subsequent Pellikoduku and Pellikuthuru (haldi) ceremonies. After the Pasupu Danchadam, both families begin planning for the wedding. Preparations typically involve purchasing wedding sarees for the bride, outfits for the groom, new clothes for close relatives, and gold or silver items to present to the families.
The Pellikoduku and Pellikuthuru ceremonies usually take place a day before the wedding, or on the day of. In the morning, the bride and groom are decorated with haldi and oil, after which they bathe in holy water; all preparation to finally dress them in the first set of wedding clothes with a Kalyana Tilakam on the forehead.
The trajectory of their relationship
Naga and Sobhita got engaged in August of this year, after two years of dating. The happy couple had kept their relationship under wraps until Chaitanya’s father, Nagarjuna Akkineni unveiled their engagement pictures on X.
Congratulations to the happy couple!
