Sankashti Chaturthi Mandal
Photo: Gopalsinghal7 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
One of India's most distinctive wedding customs traces directly back to the Trinetra Ganesha temple at Ranthambore, where families continue to send their very first wedding invitation before any other guest receives one.
A Lesson From Krishna's Own Wedding
The tradition is rooted in a story remembered from Lord Krishna's wedding to Rukmini, when, in the busy preparations, an invitation to Shree Ganesh was overlooked. Displeased, Shree Ganesh is remembered sending disruption to the wedding preparations, prompting Krishna to personally travel and extend the invitation directly, restoring order and blessing to the occasion.
A Custom Kept to This Day
Since then, families across India, regardless of where their wedding will take place, send their first printed invitation card to the Trinetra Ganesha temple at Ranthambore, where it is read aloud to the deity as part of the temple's daily ritual, before any other guest is informed.
What Devotees Seek
Couples keeping this tradition seek exactly what Krishna sought after his own oversight: a marriage begun with Shree Ganesh's blessing firmly in place, ensuring no obstacle is left unaddressed before the celebration begins.