Rajahmundry: A groom dressed as a bride, a day before his marriage, was part of the procession riding on a cart pulled by two horses. He offered puja to the family’s favourite deities of Muthyalamma and Challalamma temple expecting good as a family custom at Jagannadhapuram village of Tadepalligudem mandal in West Godavari on Wednesday.

The family belongs to the Gannamani dynasty and has roots with ancestor Gannamaneyudu who worked as a chief of security forces in the Kakatiya empire led by queen Rudrama Devi. As per family tradition, if a man from the family was to get married, he will be adorned as a bride a day before the marriage and vice versa in the case of bride. Accordingly, groom Gannamani Raviteja was dressed as a bride and was taken out in a procession on horses-driven cart in the village. Later, he said that though he was working abroad, he wanted to fulfil the family tradition coming for several generations without fail expecting something good to happen to the family. A large number of people from the village and the neighbouring villages arrived to witness the event and appreciated the family for following the tradition.