Saptapadi

(“seven steps”) The most important rite
in the Hindu marriage ceremony, in
which the bride and groom take seven
steps together to symbolize their marital
union. The seventh step completes the
transfer of the bride from her natal family to the groom’s family and is also the
point when the marriage becomes permanent. As described in the dharma literature, the bride and groom would
perform this rite by taking seven steps in
a straight line. In contemporary times
this rite is often combined with the
agnipradakshinam (“circumambulating the fire”), in which the bride and
groom make seven revolutions around a
small fire—considered to be a form of
the god Agni and thus the divine witness
to the marriage. While circling the fire,
the bride and groom are often physically
joined by tying part of his turban to the
edge of her sari as a visible sign of their
marital union.