A jaw-dropping video from Rajasthan has gone viral on social media, showing a staggering Rs 21 crore worth of gifts being exchanged during a pre-wedding ceremony. The clip, shared by photographer Sonu Ajmer on Instagram, features a traditional ‘Mayra’ or ‘bhaat’ ceremony where maternal uncles or brothers give gifts to their sisters and nieces or nephews during weddings as a gesture of love and blessings. The grand ‘mayra’ ceremony was a spectacle to behold, with 600-700 family members arriving in a procession of 100 cars and 4 luxury buses, carrying four suitcases filled with gifts.
A video of the ceremony, which has garnered 64 million views on Instagram, shows a man announcing the extravagant gifts given by the bride’s family. The gifts include 1 kg of gold, 15 kg of silver, 210 bighas of land, a petrol pump, a plot in Ajmer, Rs 1.51 crore in cash, clothes, vehicles, totalling Rs 15.65 crore. Another video reveals that the total sum of gifts reaches a whopping Rs 21 crore.
Watch the video here:
The viral clip sparked a heated debate on social media, with some questioning the extravagance of the gifts, arguing that the money could be better used by the bride to establish her own life, perhaps for education, career, or financial independence.
Others defended the tradition, explaining that ‘mayra’ is a cultural ritual distinct from dowry, highlighting the importance of understanding cultural context. They explained that Mayra is a voluntary gesture where the maternal uncle offers gifts as a symbol of love and support, not a coerced transaction like dowry.
Despite this, many expressed concerns about the vulgar display of wealth. The sheer scale of the gifts in the viral clip shocked viewers, leading to concerns about normalising extravagant wealth displays during weddings. Some argued that such displays can perpetuate societal pressure to overspend, reinforcing materialism over meaningful traditions.
One user wrote, “How shameless could the groom’s parents be? They’re basically selling their son for materialistic gains.”
Another commented, “Wow!!!!! Dowry is being celebrated so proudly and openly.”
A third said, “There will be many who will find various ways of justifying that this is right,…. Hypocrisy in India.” A fourth added, ‘You call it Mayra or gifts– it is a form of dowry. The govt should intervene and stop this dowry practice.”