Wedding Decorations in India

We attended in January 2023 a spectacular wedding in Hyderabad, India. There were five events for the wedding and the decorations at different venues were all unique, elegant, and colorful. The decorations at these events were at a different level, but reflected the normal festive spirit of celebrating Indian weddings.

The first event was the Welcome Party where family and friends of the groom and bride introduced themselves and had an outdoor party with live music.

Welcome Party Decorations
Decorations at Padmaja Palm Groves

Nataraja

Nataraja is a depiction of the Hindu god Shiva as the divine dancer. The sculpture is symbolic of Shiva as the lord of dance and dramatic arts, with its style and proportions made according to Hindu texts on arts.

The dwarf (not a baby) under Nataraja’s feet is Apasmāra, which represents ‘tamas’; ignorance and nonsensical speech. Since then Lord Shiva is also known as ‘Hara’, which means destroyer of ‘Tamas’.

A statue of Nataraja at Shilparamam, Hyderabad …..

Nataraja

A Multi-faced Ganesha

Heramba Ganapati at Shilparamam, Hyderabad. The elephant-headed Ganesha, remover of obstacles and god of good fortune, is one of the most beloved of Hindu gods. Also known as Ganapati, he is invoked before the start of any action or endeavor.
In Tantric tradition there are as many as thirty-two manifestations of Ganesha, each with its own name and iconography. One of the most popular of these is Heramba Ganapati, who has five heads and ten arms. A beautiful wood piece, intricately carved, of this form is shown below.

A Multi-faced Ganesha

Heramba Ganesh