Thali in Tamil Christian Weddings: Symbol or Spiritual Object?

|Aana Avanna Editorial Team

Sources and Further Reading

  • Good, Anthony. The Female Bridegroom: A Comparative Study of Life-Crisis Rituals in South India and Sri Lanka. Clarendon Press / Oxford University Press, 1991. global.oup.com — The most detailed comparative scholarly study of the thali-tying ceremony across Tamil Hindu and Sri Lankan wedding traditions.

  • Raj, Selva J. and Corinne G. Dempsey (eds.). Popular Christianity in India: Riting Between the Lines. State University of New York Press, 2002. sunypress.edu — Tamil Christian negotiation of Hindu ritual objects and cultural symbols, including marriage practices.

  • Frykenberg, Robert Eric. Christianity in India: From Beginnings to the Present. Oxford University Press, 2008. global.oup.com — Historical background on Tamil Christian communities and how they navigated inherited cultural practices.

  • Fuller, C. J. The Camphor Flame: Popular Hinduism and Society in India. Princeton University Press, 2004. press.princeton.edu — Hindu ritual practice including auspiciousness, sacred objects and their meanings in marriage ceremonies.

  • Dumont, Louis. A South Indian Subcaste: Social Organisation and Religion of the Pramalai Kallar. Oxford University Press, 1986. — Tamil kinship, marriage and the thali's role in marking marital status and social identity.

  • Caplan, Lionel. Class and Culture in Urban India: Fundamentalism in a Christian Community. Clarendon Press, 1987. — Tamil Christian community identity and debates over the retention of Hindu cultural markers.

  • Church of South India. The Book of Common Worship. CSI, 2004. csisynod.com — Official CSI marriage liturgy; relevant to how Tamil Protestant churches approach wedding symbols.

  • Victoria and Albert Museum. South Asian Jewellery Collection. V&A, London. vam.ac.uk — Documented examples of thali and Tamil marriage jewellery with institutional provenance.

The Aana Avanna Editor researches and writes about Tamil culture, history, diaspora life, Christianity and everyday traditions. Each article is developed using reliable sources, careful fact-checking and clear distinction between documented history, community practice and personal belief.

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