Some religions still
follow the old tradition of bringing the bride-groom to the wedding
place seated on a horse, which is white in colour. With the months of
April and May considered auspicious for weddings the demand for white
horses in the city has gone up.
In all there are eight
horses in Mysore and only the 'Katewada' breed white horse is
preferred. The horse is bedecked with special dresses to suit the
occasion. It being the tradition for the groom to ride atop only a
white coloured horse, though other colour horses are available, they
are not preferred.
The charges for renting
such a white horse ranges from Rs 2500 to 3500 per hour, and sometime
ever more depending on the distance of the wedding hall. Owners of
white horses, mostly tongawallas, are happier as they can earn good
money in this seasons for a few hours ride on the horse from families
who don't want to break the tradition.
Anuradha who had come to
book the horse says: "The nuptial ceremonies begins only after
the groom arrives at the wedding hall seated on a white horse. Though
the prices are hiked we are left with no other choice.”
Tongawalla Zameer says:
“Sometimes marriages are held continuously on certain auspicious
days. On these days our horses have no rest. We lend them to more
than three or four functions and try to meet the demands with the
existing eight horses.”
Tongawalla Babu says:
“traditional families still follow the customs of their religion
and we lend horses to them. We earn good money during this season,
and moderate response during the rest of the year. Though we have
been in the business of lending white horses since our fore-fathers,
we don't want our children to continue doing the same.”
“The only time we have
good business is during Dasara to carry tourists on horse-backs,
other than the April to June wedding season. With no other option
left we have to charge more during the season, to cover the costs of
expensive feed given to the horses and also maintain our livelihood,”
observed Babu.
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