Bihar Man Refuses Dowry, Arranges Low-key Wedding At World’s Highest Shiva Temple

In East Champaran, Bihar, a man’s wedding recently made news. He tied the knot with his beloved. He has gained the limelight because he got married at the world’s highest Shiva temples, Tungnath with no band, baaja and baarat. Munna Kumar of Saran village of East Champaran, Bihar is a government teacher. He teaches computer science at Rajepur High School in Mehsi Block, East Champaran. He got married recently to Aparna Singh, a resident of Deep Nagar, Nalanda, Bihar, who is a cyclist and tours different parts of the country on her bicycle. The bride’s family wanted to give dowry to the groom, but Munna Kumar and his family straight up refused. The duo tied the nuptial knot in Tungnath located in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag. It’s the highest of the five Panch Kedar temples.

Amidst all the dowry-related harassment and abuse incidents, this particular wedding comes as a fresh breather as no dowry, gifts or monetary transaction was done. In fact, the duo also let go of some of the centuries-old traditions. They decided to not spend unnecessary money on the wedding. Being true devotees of Lord Shiva, the couple decided that the highest Shiva temple would be the perfect place for their wedding ceremony.

Munna Kumar and Aparna Singh got married on March 29, 2024. They refused to follow any customs and hence, there was no horse carriage, no wedding procession and no mantra chanting as well. He wanted to have a wedding which would set an example for the youth and the coming generation. His decision was supported by his family and the couple happily got married.

Before landing a government job, Munna Kumar was a Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) teacher in Laxmi Narayan Dubey College Motihari, East Champaran, Bihar. He is the son of a farmer. Since his childhood, he has witnessed poverty and societal evils which pushed him to do better and help improve the lives of others as well. Munna Kumar laid the foundation of Happy School, where he aims to improve the lives of children who belong to economically backward and Dalit communities by offering them free education.