Gujarati kankotri wording (કંકોત્રી) with samples
In Gujarati homes the wedding card is the kankotri, and the first one is traditionally placed before Ganpati or sent to the kuldevi’s temple before any guest receives theirs. A kankotri has a familiar order, invocation, the inviting family, the couple, the list of प्रसंग from Ganesh sthapana to the reception, and often a playful line from the children. Here is what each part means, followed by samples you can adapt.
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The parts of a kankotri
Invocation: “॥ શ્રી ગણેશાય નમઃ ॥” at the top, sometimes with the family deity, for example “॥ શ્રી અંબે માં ॥” or “॥ જય શ્રી કૃષ્ણ ॥”, on the line below.
નિમંત્રક (the inviting family): the senior couple in whose name the card is sent, usually the grandparents or parents, with their full names and native place (મૂળ વતન).
The couple: the groom and the bride are both commonly written with ચિ. (ચિરંજીવી), followed by their parents’ names and town. The line usually reads “… ના શુભ લગ્ન … સાથે નિર્ધાર્યા છે”.
પ્રસંગ (the functions): ગણેશ સ્થાપના, મંડપ મુહૂર્ત, પીઠી, ગરબા or સંગીત સંધ્યા, જાન આગમન, હસ્તમેળાપ and ભોજન સમારંભ, each with day, date and time. Many families also write the Gujarati tithi.
Closing: “આ શુભ પ્રસંગે આપ સહકુટુંબ પધારી નવદંપતીને આશીર્વાદ આપવા વિનંતી” followed by the names of relatives who join in the invitation.
The children’s line
Just as Hindi cards have बाल मनुहार, many kankotris end with a sweet line in the voice of the youngest children of the family, some families call this the ટહુકો. It usually asks guests to come “to my mama’s wedding” or “to my didi’s wedding” and is signed with the children’s pet names.
Complete kankotri samples
A traditional card from the groom’s family, a shorter modern one, and the English version for friends.
A short card for other occasions
The same pattern works for a griha pravesh (વાસ્તુ પૂજન) or a birthday, keep the invocation, one line of news and the timings.