Anand Karaj
I was recently looking up the location of a gurdwara after an enquiry came in for Sikh wedding photography. The spelling threw me off a little and I wasn’t sure if the prospect had spelt it incorrectly or whether it was genuinely the spelling.
The closest to the query was Singh Sabha Gurdwara in Southall (it transpires that the prospect had spelt it incorrectly). I went to Singh Sabha Gurdwara some years ago and was really very impressed with the layout and the Darbar Sahib.
I looked through the gurdwara’s website and came across its Anand Karaj pack. And I loved it! I have been thinking about writing about the Anand Karaj for a while now and what the laavan mean. In this article it is already done, so why re-invent the wheel.
If you are interested in understanding a little bit more about the format of a Sikh wedding and the structure of the ceremony, then this is definitely worth reading.
Being of the Sikh faith, or any faith for that matter, I believe it is important to understand the ‘why’ rather than just the ‘what’. It’s one of the reasons I enjoy photographing weddings of different faith groups. The religious element of the ceremonies is so important and I think sometimes, we forget that. And many of us want the religious blessing but don’t always understand it (I was the same when I got married).
May be age and a tiny bit of wisdom has helped me to appreciate the significance of the Anand Karaj.
For the wedding photographers out there, it also gives you an insight in to the important aspects of the lead-up to the ceremony so you are better equipped to photograph the specifics if you are new to Sikh wedding photography.
I hope you find the article as enjoyable to read as I did!
