We had an interesting ritual at our wedding that I believe, but am not sure, is unique to Rajput ceremonies. My husband-to-be rode up on his white horse and paused at a wooden archway that had been constructed about 10 feet outside of the marriage tent. This archway symbolized the official” entrance to our home. He took his long curved sword (which we had borrowed from an Iranian friend--it was his great-grandfather's sword) out of its sheath, held it high above his head for a moment, and hit the blade against the archway before passing underneath and dismounting.

This rather dramatic gesture is meant to indicate that because the two families will soon be one, this is the last time the sword will ever be raised by the groom or his family in the bride's house. Since in pre-colonial Rajasthan, Rajput marriages often took place between warring clans in order to form political alliances, this act was a very important one.

There is some ambiguity in message of the sword as it also serves as a warning to the brides family that if they were thinking about starting any trouble at this point (I don't know maybe the scenario of the whole wedding as an elaborate set-up for an ambush) the groom's family is ready and prepared to fight.

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