Kankotri matter
Gujarati wedding card wording, in English
What to write on your kankotri — whole wordings to copy, a line for every ceremony, and each word on the card explained.
A Gujarati kankotri often opens with Shree Ganeshay Namah and Shubh Lagna, invites guests with the blessings of the elders, names the groom and the bride with their parents, gives the date, the hast melap and the venue, and ends with the Nimantrak and a tahuko from the children. Six wordings below are ready to copy.
Updated
How a kankotri reads, top to bottom
An opening blessing
Optional. Shree Ganeshay Namah — or, in a Vaishnav family, Shree Krishnah Sharanam Mama.
Shubh Lagna
The heading: "auspicious wedding".
The invitation
With the blessings of the elders, the family invites you — with your whole family.
The bride and groom
Chi. before the groom's name — and on many cards before the bride's too — with whose son and daughter they are; A. Sau. before the mothers' names.
The date and the hast melap
The day, the date and the time the hands are joined — the muhurat — with the time the jaan sets off.
The venue
The haveli, wadi or party plot, its area and the city — with a map, if you send it digitally.
The other ceremonies
Mandap mahurat, pithi, mameru, the garba night and the reception — each with its day, time and place.
The names at the foot
The Nimantrak who invite, and the Darshanabhilashi longing to see you.
A tahuko
Optional. A short, playful line from the children of the family, asking you to come.
An opening line, if you wish
Most kankotris begin with Shree Ganeshay Namah — or, in a Vaishnav family, Shree Krishnah Sharanam Mama; some begin with Shubh Lagna alone. Every wording below works either way.
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To Shree Ganesh
|| Shree Ganeshay Namah ||
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For a Vaishnav family
|| Shree Krishnah Sharanam Mama ||
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Without a deity's name
|| Shubh Lagna ||
Wordings to copy
Change the words in brackets to yours.
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From the groom's parents
Shubh Lagna With the blessings of our elders, we invite you and your family to the wedding of our son Chi. [Harsh] with Chi. [Ishita] daughter of A. Sau. [Rupal] and Shri [Prakash Desai], [Khadia, Ahmedabad] Hast melap: [Sunday, 21 February 2027] at [6:45 pm] The jaan leaves [the Mehta home] at [4:45 pm] Venue: [The Kalupur Haveli, Kalupur, Ahmedabad] Nimantrak: A. Sau. [Nayna] and Shri [Kiran Mehta]
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From the bride's parents
Shubh Lagna With the blessings of our elders, we invite you and your family to the wedding of our daughter Chi. [Ishita] with Chi. [Harsh] son of A. Sau. [Nayna] and Shri [Kiran Mehta], [Ahmedabad] Hast melap: [Sunday, 21 February 2027] at [6:45 pm] Venue: [The Kalupur Haveli, Kalupur, Ahmedabad] Please come with your family and bless the couple. Jaman follows. Nimantrak: A. Sau. [Rupal] and Shri [Prakash Desai] Darshanabhilashi: [Ba, Dada and all the Desai family]
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In plain English
Mrs. [Nayna] and Mr. [Kiran Mehta] and Mrs. [Rupal] and Mr. [Prakash Desai] request the pleasure of your company at the wedding of [Harsh] and [Ishita] on [Sunday, 21 February 2027], from [5:30 pm] Hands are joined at [6:45 pm] at [The Kalupur Haveli, Kalupur, Ahmedabad] Dinner follows the wedding.
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From the couple
[Harsh] and [Ishita] are getting married! With the blessings of our families, we would love you to be with us in [Ahmedabad] — the garba night on [Saturday, 20 February], the wedding on [Sunday, 21 February 2027], and the reception the evening after. Every ceremony, with its time and place, is in our invitation. With love, [Harsh and Ishita]
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Short, for WhatsApp
Jai Shri Krishna [Shah kaka and family], With the blessings of our elders, our son [Harsh] is getting married to [Ishita] on [Sunday, 21 February 2027] in [Ahmedabad]. Please come with your family and bless them. Every ceremony, with its time and a map, is here: [link] [Nayna and Kiran Mehta]
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A tahuko
Tahuko Mara [Harsh kaka] na lagna ma jarur jarur aavjo! [Kavya, Dhruv and Riya]
A line for each ceremony
For the foot of the card, or a page of its own.
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Chandlo Matli
Chandlo Matli (engagement) · [Sunday, 6 December 2026] · [11 am] · [the Mehta home, Khadia]
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Mandap Mahurat
Mandap Mahurat · [Thursday, 18 February 2027] · [9 am] · [the Desai home, Khadia]
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Pithi
Pithi · [Friday, 19 February 2027] · [10 am] · [the Desai home, Mehta ni Khadki, Khadia] — wear yellow
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Mameru
Mameru · [Friday, 19 February 2027] · [12 noon] · [the Desai home, Khadia]
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Mehendi
Mehendi · [Friday, 19 February 2027] · from [4 pm] · [the Desai home, Khadia]
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Garba night
Garba night · [Saturday, 20 February 2027] · from [7:30 pm] · [the chowk at Mehta ni Khadki] — chaniya choli and kediyu
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Hast melap
Hast melap · [Sunday, 21 February 2027] · [6:45 pm] — the jaan arrives at [5:30 pm] · [The Kalupur Haveli, Kalupur]
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Reception
Reception · [Monday, 22 February 2027] · from [7:30 pm] · [The Riverfront Lawns, Sabarmati Riverfront]
Every word on the card, explained
- Kankotri
- The Gujarati wedding card. Many families write the first one by hand — the kankotri lekhan — before any other goes out.
- Shubh Lagna
- "Auspicious wedding" — the heading of most cards.
- Shree Ganeshay Namah
- A salutation to Shree Ganesh, at the top of most cards.
- Shree Krishnah Sharanam Mama
- "Shree Krishna is my refuge" — the opening line in many Vaishnav families.
- Chi. (Chiranjeev)
- "May they live long" — written before the groom's name, and on many cards before the bride's.
- A. Sau. (Akhand Saubhagyavati)
- Written before a married woman's name — the mothers', on a kankotri.
- Swa. (Swargastha)
- "The late", for a grandparent who has passed away: "grandson of Swa. Shri [Ramanlal Mehta]".
- Hast melap
- The joining of hands — the moment of the wedding, and the time most cards give.
- Mangal fera
- The four rounds of the sacred fire.
- Kansar
- The sweet the bride and groom feed each other after the fera.
- Jaan
- The groom's party, and its procession to the wedding.
- Ponkhvu
- The bride's mother welcomes the groom at the door.
- Chandlo Matli
- The engagement: a chandlo on the groom's forehead, and a matli of sweets between the families. Some call it gol dhana.
- Mandap mahurat
- The mandap is set up and blessed, a few days before the wedding.
- Pithi
- The turmeric ceremony.
- Mameru
- The bride's mama brings his gifts — often her panetar, the white sari with a red border she wears at the wedding.
- Garba
- The night of circle dances, with dandiya.
- Jaman
- The feast.
- Nimantrak
- "Those who invite" — usually the parents.
- Darshanabhilashi
- "Longing to see you" — often the elders and close relatives.
- Tahuko
- A short, playful line at the foot of the card — often from the children of the family — asking you to come.
Before you print or send
Give the hast melap time
Guests come for the joining of hands, so write its time — "Hast melap 6:45 pm" — and when the jaan arrives.
Add the Gujarati date only as your maharaj gives it
Many families write the Gujarati calendar date beside the English one. Copy it exactly as the family maharaj writes it — never guess it.
Check every name with both families
The spellings, the A. Sau. and Swa., and who is named at the foot. Ask the eldest in each family before you print.
Let the children write the tahuko
In their own words, with their own names. It is the line most guests read first.
Say where to park in a pol
Old lanes are narrow. "Park at Raipur Gate, and the cousins will walk you in" saves every guest a wrong turn.
A kankotri that opens
Pol turns these words into an invitation where a kite carries each family's name over the rooftops of an old Ahmedabad pol — one courtyard dressed for every ceremony as the days pass, and every wish a kite at dusk.
Free to try · ₹1,999 when you’re ready to send
Questions families ask
What is written on a Gujarati kankotri?
From the top: an optional Shree Ganeshay Namah, Shubh Lagna, the invitation with the elders' blessings, the groom and the bride (Chi.) with their parents, the date and the hast melap, the venue, the other ceremonies, the Nimantrak at the foot — and often a tahuko from the children.
What is a tahuko on a kankotri?
A short, playful line at the foot of the card, often from the children of the family: "Mara Harsh kaka na lagna ma jarur jarur aavjo!" — "Do, do come to my uncle Harsh's wedding!"
How do you write the bride's and groom's names?
Chi. before the groom's name, and on many cards before the bride's too, with their parents as Shri and A. Sau. Swa. is for a grandparent who has passed away.
What is the hast melap?
The joining of the bride's and groom's hands — the moment of the wedding, set by the family maharaj. Most kankotris give its time, so guests are seated before it.
Can we send the kankotri on WhatsApp?
Yes — as a digital kankotri. With Invitetale it is a link where a kite carries each family's name over the rooftops of an old pol, with every ceremony, its time, place and a map. Free to try; ₹1,999 once to send.
Sending it on WhatsApp? Wedding invitation messages, ready to copy.