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Rajasthan, an area including the Thar Desert,
is the most barren plot of land in all of India.
Rajasthan
But as the sun burns even brighter over the desert,
Rajasthan displays colors that are brighter than in any other part of the nation.
The colorful clothing isn't the only thing that contributes to the banquet of colors.
The cities of Rajasthan all have such distinctive colors
that it may even seem unrealistic.
Jaisalmer A city of golden hues.
Udaipur There's even a white city where everything is white as snow.
Jodpur Now, every alley in this city is blue.
This is why the it's called the Blue City.
In the city of distinctive color lived a distinctive king.
The king built an ironclad citadel on the top of a hill
Meherangarh Fort that was 125 meters high.
The citadel was fortified with high stone walls and an impenetrable iron door.
The Rajiv Tribe, the greatest warriors of the history of India,
ruled over this area for over 1000 years.
Because warriors have a tendency to put their reputation and pride first before everything,
they were usually immersed in fighting amongst themselves.
As can be seen by the iron spikes installed in the walls in preparation
for the invasion of the Elephant Unit,
traces of those intense battles are still scattered around the fortress.
On the inner walls of the fort is a remnant of a sad piece of history.
These handprints are from women who were burned alive.
Satee: A custom of immolation of a woman on her dead husband's funeral Satee was a custom in India
where the wife was burned alive at her husband's funeral.
It is an abusive custom practiced in Rajasthan where wars and disputes were frequent.
Although the sight of these handprints send chills down our spines,
these prints are still considered symbols of chastity and fidelity
to the people of this area.
The bride who is solemnly swearing chastity and fidelity in front of the Satee prints
is also a descendant of the Rajiv tribe.
Neeha (age 21) Neeha, aged 21 this year, quit the prestigious women's college
she was attending to follow her father's orders and get married.
Isn't this extravagant? This is where the two will be wed.
The ceremony usually takes place at the bride's house.
All the expenses for the wedding is paid for by the bride's family as well.
The groom makes an appearance clad
in a warrior's suit befitting his descent of a great warrior family.
But the first thing he does as he sets foot in the bride's house is a bit funny.
He gives the bride's family insignia a couple of good taps with his sword.
This is understood to mean something along the lines of,
'I have now conquered this family.'
This is the third time that the bride has seen the groom.
So she has only seen him twice before the wedding today.
Wedding ceremonies typically last two to three days.
The most important part of the ceremony is about to begin.
The bride's parents and the groom's parents are seated across from each other.
The groom comes from a family who were politicians for generations.
The bride's family is in the medical business
and family members contacted everyone they knew in order to find an eligible bachelor
who was a descendant from a warrior family like themselves.
A daughter within a warrior family is considered a temporary member of the family
who must leave as soon as she comes of age.
The rope is a prayer that she will never go without clothing,
and the money is a prayer for her to become wealthy.
With this, all ties are severed between her and her family
and she is now her husband's woman.
This is the most important ritual.
The bride and the groom go around the holy fire together.
They must make seven rounds.
Each time they go around, they make vows to keep as a married couple.
The husband must seat his wife on his left side,
they must never keep secrets from each other,
the husband must yield all of his earning to his wife,
and the wife must live as a member of her husband's family.
The bride's mother probably went through the same rituals.
The ceremony finally ends with the groom applying some red dye on the bride's forehead.
It is a mark that indicates that the bride is now a married woman.
The bride's father is no longer even able to look his daughter in the face now
that she has become a part of the groom's family.
The next day,
the bride's house becomes much livelier than last night's solemn ceremony.
The bride's friends shout for the groom to take his shoes off and sit down.
"Take your shoes off."
The groom finally gives in and takes his shoes off before sitting down.
What are the bride and the groom doing?
When the friend throws a ring into the bowl of milk,
the two must find the ring together.
The custom is probably for the bride and groom
who have never even held each other's hands before.
It is now time for the bride to leave.
Her family and relatives all gather outside to see the bride and groom take off.
It looks like the reality has finally hit the bride now.
Will the grandfather ever be able to see his granddaughter again in his lifetime?
It takes about two full days on a train to get to the groom's house.
The bride may never see her family members again.
Especially if one of her sisters marries a man from a distant city,
the two may never meet.
But her father is the most heartbroken of all.
Just imagine how he'd feel,
sending away the precious daughter he'd raised for the past 20 years.
It breaks her heart to go,
but she must accept her fate as a woman of Rajasthan.
Will she be able to come back after she leaves today?
She leaves to live with the in-laws that she has never met before.
There, she will begin a new life.