Wording guide
Kannada wedding invitation wording: the lagna patrike and the dhare muhurtha
By the Wishly team · Updated
A Kannada wedding invitation, the lagna patrike, opens with Ganesha and the family deity, names the parents who invite, and gives the dhare muhurtha, the auspicious time at which the bride is given in marriage, with its lagna. Kannadiga cards also list the varapooje on the evening before and, in many families, a beegara oota after the wedding.
Here is the traditional order, samples in Kannada transliteration and in English, and the etiquette families in Karnataka follow.
The order of lines on a lagna patrike
A Kannada card reads like a formal letter from one household to another. The family priest usually drafts the muhurtha line, and the rest is arranged around it in an order relatives recognise.
- Sri Ganeshaya Namaha and the family deity's name, often with prasanna, at the top.
- Shubha Vivaha or Lagna Patrike as the heading.
- The hosts: the parents, with the grandparents whose blessings the wedding carries.
- Chi. Sow. before the bride's name and Chi. before the groom's, each with their parents, degrees and work.
- The dhare muhurtha: date, weekday, a time window and the lagna.
- The venue, the varapooje (the groom's welcome on the evening before) and the reception.
- A request to come with relatives and friends, and the households sending their compliments.
Formal Kannada wording from the parents
This card is from the bride's parents, in Kannada written in Latin letters. Change suputri to suputra and swap the families for a card from the groom's side.
Sri Ganeshaya Namaha
Shubha Vivaha
Shri Ramesh mattu Shrimati Lakshmi avara suputri
Chi. Sow. Spoorthi
mattu
Shri Prakash mattu Shrimati Asha avara suputra
Chi. Pranav
avara vivaha mahotsava
Sunday, 21 February 2027,
dhare muhurtha beligge 10.30 rinda 11.15 ravarege
Sthala: [kalyana mantapa], Mysuru
Thavu bandhu mitra sameta aagamisi vadhuvararannu harasabekendu vinanti.
What it says: Salutation to Lord Ganesha. Auspicious wedding. The wedding celebration of Spoorthi, daughter of Mr Ramesh and Mrs Lakshmi, and Pranav, son of Mr Prakash and Mrs Asha, on Sunday, 21 February 2027, with the dhare muhurtha between 10.30 and 11.15 in the morning. Venue: the kalyana mantapa, Mysuru. We request you to come with your relatives and friends and bless the bride and groom.
Which ceremonies to list
A Kannada wedding usually runs over two days. On the first evening the bride's family welcomes the groom at the varapooje, often followed by the reception; on the wedding morning come the kashi yatre, the dhare, the mangalya dharane, when the groom ties the mangalsutra, and the saptapadi. Print the ones guests attend, with their times, and leave the private rites to the priest's schedule.
Couple-hosted and English wording for a Kannada wedding
Couples who have moved to Bengaluru or abroad often send an English version in their own names. Keep the dhare muhurtha and the varapooje, the two times relatives plan around.
With the blessings of our families,
Spoorthi and Pranav
request your presence at our wedding
Varapooje and reception: Saturday, 20 February 2027, from 6.30 pm
Dhare muhurtha: Sunday, 21 February, 10.30 to 11.15 am
[kalyana mantapa], Mysuru
Lunch follows the muhurtha.
WhatsApp, the varapooje and the beegara oota
In many Old Mysore families a beegara oota, a feast for the new relatives, follows the wedding. It has its own guest list and deserves its own message, as does the varapooje when it doubles as the reception.
Namaskara! Spoorthi and Pranav are getting married on Sunday, 21 February 2027, in Mysuru.
Muhurtha 10.30 to 11.15 am, reception the evening before.
Invitation, map and RSVP: [link]
Nimma aashirvada beku.
What it says: Namaskara is the Kannada greeting. The last line means: we seek your blessings.
Varapooje and Reception
Saturday, 20 February 2027, from 6.30 pm
[kalyana mantapa], Mysuru
Join us as Spoorthi's family welcomes Pranav and his family, with dinner after.
What it says: Varapooje is the welcome the bride's family gives the groom on the eve of the wedding.
Beegara Oota
Monday, 22 February 2027, from 12.30 pm
Hosted by the Prakash family, [venue], Mysuru
Come and eat with both families, now one.
What it says: Beegara oota is the feast for the families joined by the marriage.
Etiquette for a Kannada invitation
Invitations to elders go by hand, with tambula, betel leaves and areca nut, and often a coconut, and the first card is placed before the family deity. The bride's family traditionally hosts the wedding itself, so their card carries the muhurtha, while the groom's family may print a separate card for its own guests.
Many Kannadiga cards close with a list of relatives who send their compliments. It is a courtesy to the wider family, so check spellings and include every branch you would visit in person.
- Print the dhare muhurtha window exactly as the priest gives it.
- For a morning muhurtha out of town, give the varapooje time too, so guests can arrive the evening before.
- Add the mantapa's landmark and parking; older relatives find their way by them.
- Say what each meal is, the beegara oota above all, so relatives who keep food rules can plan.
Questions families ask
- What is the dhare muhurtha?
- It is the auspicious time for dhare, the rite in which the bride's parents pour water over the joined hands of the couple as they give their daughter in marriage. Kannada cards print it as the main time of the wedding.
- What does Chi. Sow. mean on a Kannada card?
- Chi. is short for chiranjeevi, a wish for long life, and Sow. for sowbhagyavathi, a wish for a happy married life. The bride is written Chi. Sow. and the groom Chi.
- Can the card be in Kannada and English?
- Yes, and many are bilingual. Elders read the Kannada side; colleagues and friends from outside Karnataka use the English side or the link.
