Bel-bibaha is one of the famous traditions followed by each Newari cultured people. In this tradition a preadolescent girl during the age of 5, 7 or 9, before they reach to puberty are married to the Bel (wooden apple fruit) where fruit symbolizes the Lord Kumar, the son of Lord Shiva. Normally, Newari girls are married three times in their lives. And the first one is called Ehee (Bel – Bibaha) marrying with the Bel fruit, second with the sun and last one with the real bridegroom. Marrying to the Bel or Lord Kumar is done with a belief that the girl would remain pure and chaste for life and even after the death of her ‘real’ husband she would not be considered as a widow, it is because she had been married to Lord Kumar who is known to be immortal.
At past Bel-Bibaha was basically done so to prevent girls from being dishonored by a warlord from Bengal who would burn places, loot temples, killed man and boys, dishonored girls but left married women. So, to protect them from being dishonored at future, with a belief they started a ritual of marrying pre-puberty girls. The ritual basically carried with purification bath, giving glittering bridal suit to wear with bridal ornaments and red tika on the forehead in the morning. And whole day following various rituals proceeds with ‘kanyadan’ where father gives his daughter to Lord Kumar. Finally, it ends with giving set of married woman’s clothes to girl by her parents and then welcoming to the family. Thus, Bel- Bibaha has enforced the widow remarriage in newar community making the women free from the Hindu traditional viewpoint of one life one marriage system which is still in practice today.
