Produced by: Somya Muralidharan
More than 2,000 couples recently tied the knot during a mass wedding ceremony in Baran, Rajasthan, India, setting the Guinness World Record for the most couples married in 12 hours. They also broke the record for the most couples married in 24 hours, which was set by 963 Yemeni couples in 2013. Marriage ceremonies for both Hindu and Muslim couples took place at the gathering.
The mass wedding was organised by the registered trust Shri Mahaveer Goshala Kalyan Sansthan, which is dedicated to "serving the marginalized sections of society." Their objective was to facilitate marriage for those in the public who were less fortunate.
The majority of the couples came from the predominantly agrarian Baran district in Rajasthan, which Niti Aayog, the top think tank in India, dubbed a "backward district”, with numerous issues regarding education, social mobility, and economic development.
On the morning of May 26, the record-breaking mass wedding began as the couples started congregating at the location, which is outside of Baran. They were all wed in less than six hours.
Each bride and husband exchanged garlands made of yellow, pink, and red flowers as the ceremony got underway. State officials such as Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot and Cabinet Minister Pramod Jain Bhaya also bestowed their blessings on the couples. The couples were led to the Mandap area, where they would be legally wed, after giving each other garlands. The couples circled a holy fire seven times as part of a rite known as "saptapadi" there.
Each couple had a learned priest or official from their respective communities perform the marriage; the Muslim Quazis were invited from surrounding places, while the Hindu priests travelled from Gayatri Parivaar.
The bride's jewels, a mattress and bedding set, culinary utensils and home furnishings including a television, refrigerator, fridge and induction cooker were among the presents presented to each pair. Along with the thousands of guests present, food was also provided to all the newlywed couples.
In another unique world record, on Valentine’s Day 2001, 34 couples from 22 countries simultaneously exchanged wedding vows 10 metres (32.8 ft) underwater near Kradan Island, Thailand.
120 inmates of Carandiru prison, Sao Paulo, Brazil, married their fiancées in a mass ceremony on June 14, 2000.