A ‘grand’ wedding in the name of Mantra Mangalya at Kuppali attracts wrath of Kuvempu admirers

Controversial wedding at Kuvempu Trust in Kuppali sparks debate over adherence to poet's simple Mantra Mangalya ceremony.

An apparently ostentatious wedding held on Friday (January 24, 2025) on the premises of Rashtrakavi Kuvempu Trust at Kuppali in Tirthahalli, following the rituals of Mantra Mangalya – a wedding ceremony designed and propagated by the late Kannada poet Kuvempu to simplify weddings -- has attracted the wrath of many readers of the writer.

The residents of Bengaluru, who are native to Koppa taluk in Chikkamagaluru, conducted the wedding at the amphitheatre in front of Hemangana, an auditorium at Kuppali. They decorated the surrounding area with lights and held a music programme, besides offering dinner to the guests.

A local resident recorded a video of the gathering and lighting arrangements. The video clip has gone viral on social media platforms. He is seen questioning if this is the way to conduct Mantra Mangalya propagated by Kuvempu. Reacting to the video clip, many people have raised objections to the way the event was organised. They argued that the organisers had not followed the spirit of Kuvempu’s Mantra Mangalya. Such events should not be allowed in Kuppali, many felt.

When The Hindu contacted Kadidal Prakash, secretary of the trust, he said, “Normally, Mantra Mangalya weddings are held inside Hemangana auditorium. However, this family requested us to hold the event in the evening at the amphitheatre in open air. We presumed that as they had volunteered to do the Mantra Mangalya wedding, they would follow Kuvempu’s objectives and keep it simple. They decorated the surroundings with lighting. This looked like a grand event, not in tune with the basic objective of Mantra Mangalya.”

Mr. Prakash said that the gathering was by and large within the limit of 200 people. However, the event “looked grand.” “From now onwards, we will not allow any weddings in the evening and ensure the guests adhere to the basic objective of a simple wedding,” he stated.

Kuvempu, Jnanapith awardee, is a native of Kuppali. He propagated simple marriage by holding his son, also a noted writer, Poornachandra Tejaswi’s marriage with R. Rajeshwari at a farmhouse in Chikkamagaluru district on November 27, 1966. There was no place for Sanskrit mantras and rituals. The poet prepared a text that served as a wedding oath for the bride and groom. The text was later called Mantra Mangalya. Over the years many people, particularly those who have read Kuvempu and Tejaswi’s literature, have followed this custom.