According to the organisers, each couple will receive a fixed deposit of ₹30,000, taking the total FD amount to ₹90 lakh. In addition, gold and silver jewellery, clothes, and household items worth around ₹2 lakh per couple will be provided. The wedding rituals will be conducted over three days, with separate arrangements for religious ceremonies, food, accommodation, and guest management.
The selection process drew wide participation this year. More than 1,500 applications were received from 13 states. A 600-member survey team from 60 districts conducted a month-long verification exercise to identify the most deserving applicants. After scrutiny, 300 couples were finalised, including one couple from Nepal.
Pandit Dhirendra Shastri, head priest of Bageshwar Dham, said the initiative is rooted in social responsibility. “These girls are now daughters of Balaji. Their weddings will be conducted with full dignity and grandeur, in the presence of saints and spiritual leaders from across the country,” he said. He added that although over 600 cases of extreme hardship were identified, resource constraints limited the event to 300 couples this year.
Inside the Bageshwar Dham complex, preparations are in their final stages. Volunteers are packing jewellery, clothes and essential items, while teams are verifying VVIP invitations and coordinating logistics. Event coordinator Kamal Awasthi said all couples have been asked to report on February 13. “Wedding mandaps, food pavilions and accommodation facilities are almost ready,” he said.
Among the selected brides is Asmita Sunar from Nepal’s Kanchanpur district, whose family applied for four consecutive years before being selected. “My mother has been trying since four years. This time, my turn finally came,” she said, adding that the support has eased her family’s long-standing financial worries.
Several brides from Madhya Pradesh shared similar experiences, describing the event as a rare opportunity for a respectful wedding despite severe economic hardship. For many, the ceremony represents both social acceptance and financial security.
The main wedding ceremony on February 15 is expected to attract saints, religious leaders, devotees and guests from across the country, making it one of the largest mass wedding events in the region this year.
