Monkey marriage

Bhadrak: At first glance, it looks like any other Hindu wedding in Orissa — a grand marriage procession, hundreds of well-wishers, and lots of upbeat music.

But that's where the similarities end. The groom in the wedding is a little monkey named Manu, and awaiting his arrival is his monkey bride-to-be — two-year old Jhumri.

Jhumri's self-appointed guardians in Bhadrak found her abandoned when she was just a newborn in a village temple, and vowed to get her married in the same shrine.

Says her guardian, Mamina, "I feel as if my own daughter is getting married. I feel sad that Jhumri will no long stay with us."

A marriage proposal was duly sent to a neighboring village, where Manu was being raised by another couple. Animal lovers in the district welcome the marriage because it will mean freedom for the newly weds.

Says an animal lover, Kanhu Kishore Sahoo, "The two monkeys were kept captive in their respective houses. No matter what the reason, we thought with our cooperation if they could be set free then we should help them out. So we conducted the marriage."

As for the bride and groom, they are all set to spend their honeymoon in the sprawling five-acre Jagannath temple in the village.

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