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Residents of a Badagabellur village in the outskirts of Karnataka's Mangalore District celebrated the marriage of a dead man and woman. As per the locals, during the Aati month, which falls between the July and August, several such weddings take place between spirits. The groom was Yadav, a soldier who was killed in the line of duty at the age of 31 near Rajasthan, and the bride was Vishalakshi who died at the age of 11. The relatives of Yadav said that the marriage was advised by an astrologer and it was arranged as a practice of wishing them eternal peace. The horoscope of the late bride and groom were also tallied, and an auspicious day was fixed for the wedding. The marriage was performed as per all traditional rituals. "As per customs, gold jewellery, and clothes for bride as well as for groom are given. After the wedding, the relatives keep the clothes and ornaments safe for a year and later distribute them to lower-caste persons," said Manjunath, a local. The village chief performed the rituals, keeping dresses of bride and bridegroom in two stools. It is believed that dead bachelors live as evil spirits in the area and disturb the relatives.

Mangaloreans celebrate marriage of dead couple