They had been childhood friends, separated when Raghav’s father died and his family moved away. At 15, he had carved her name on a loose brick near the dwajasthambam (flagpole). She had never forgotten.
On her wedding day (to the Madras groom), Lakshmi walks to the temple sanctum, places the wedding garland at the deity’s feet, and declares, “I marry the servant of this Lord.” Srini, from the inner sanctum, rings the bell. The head priest (his father) intervenes, citing a 300-year-old temple custom: A girl who garlands the deity before marriage must marry a temple servant. The family is forced to agree.
These are documented in memoirs, legal cases, and folklore of Kanchipuram.
