Aishwarya Rai

The most-talked about Bollywood couple Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai sought blessings of the deity at the famous Vindhyavasini Temple on January 27th, making their first public appearance together after their engagement.

The Bachchan family offered prayers at the temple of Maa Bhagwati, seeking her blessings in the run-up to the Abhishek-Aishwarya wedding. Aishwarya caught eyes of everyone present there by sporting a ’sindoor’ on her forehead.

it was a ritual taking place as a pre-nuptial ceremony, Abhishek and Aishwarya performed ‘parikarama’ (circumambulation) of the deity and also performed the ‘Bhagwati Pooja. Yes, Abhishek did apply ‘kumkum’ on Aishwarya’s forehead and also applied some on his own forehead. The two also offered a gold ‘chhatra’ (umbrella), nose ring and anklets during the ‘pooja’.

This has led to rumors that both have got married! Vermilion on Aish forehead set hearts and tongues aflutter. Had the Abhi-Aish union happened or did Aishwarya Rai’s hand waver as she put holy vermilion from the deity’s feet on her forehead? The pictures of Aishwarya Rai with sindoor, her fiance Abhishek Bachchan and parents-in-law- Amitabh and Jaya – emerging from a puja created a curiosity among their viewers if the red smear extended to her parting, a sign of Hindu matrimony.

But priests called it a pre-nuptial ceremony. The Bachchans took vermilion from the feet of the deity as Prasad to use it in the marriage ceremony. Abhishek and Aishwarya sought blessings of Goddess Vindhyavasini, who – according to Puranic lore – appeared at Vindhyan hills to kill two demons – Sumbha and Nishumbh. “Aishwarya and Abhishek also performed the shodashopachar puja of the deity, offering shringar and sweets for a successful married life,” said a Vindhya Panda.

As Ash, dressed in white churidar-kurta and light green dupatta, and Abhishek, in white kurta pyjama with chandan on his forehead, walked out, making people to speculate about their wedding! Besides, there has been immense speculation about Aishwarya’s manglik status, which was being seen as a hurdle in the marriage between the two stars. Priests said that the puja neutralised all manglik influences.

No sooner the puja was over, the Bachchan family, along with UP chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh, actress-turned-politician Jaya Prada, MP, and others witnessed the wedding of 51 couples organised by the Amar Singh Fans’ Association to mark his 51st birthday.

Later, Amar Singh said Abhishek had arrived in the Vindhyachal with his would-be wife for the first time. He added that Amitabh wanted to establish a school for girls at his ancestral village Babupatti in Pratapgarh, and the foundation stone of the school would be laid by none other than the Bachchan bahu Aishwarya.