Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, who tied the knot on November 14 and 15 at Villa del Balbianello, Lake Como in Italy, have landed in a controversy over their Anand Karaj ceremony.
Details of their high-profile, luxury wedding in Italy's picturesque Lake Como were plastered on all Bollywood lovers' screens, with fans asking their stars for more photos from the event.
The couple's fairytale wedding was a two-day affair comprising a Konkani-style wedding on November 14 and an Anand Karaj ceremony on November 15.
Now, November 15th's Anand Karaj ceremony does not seem to have gone down too well with some Sikh leaders.
A report in Times of India says that the president of an Italian Sikh organisation has approached the Akal Takht Jathedar (the appointed head of all Sikhs in the world) to take cognisance of the issue.
The allegation against Ranveer and Deepika is their makeshift gurudwara at Villa del Balbianello that was set up for the couple's wedding. According to the Akal Takht, it is forbidden to take the Guru Granth Sahib anywhere outside a gurudwara.
Indian Sikh community’s Italy president Sukhdev Singh Kang said that the Anand Karaj ceremony was a ‘major lapse’ on the part of the gurdwara as the Akal Takht dictates that the Guru Granth Sahib should not be taken to a hotel, banquet hall or other venues for the Anand Karaj ceremony. “This was in violation of the Akal Takht ‘hukumnama’ which sternly prohibits taking Guru Granth Sahib to a place other than a gurdwara,” Kang said.
Kang added that the Italian Sikh community would write to the Akal Takht to take necessary action. Akal Takht acting Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh is quoted as saying in the report that the five high priests will look into the matter when they receive a complaint.
An Anand Karaj ceremony is performed in a gurdwara where the bride and groom sit or take pheras around the Guru Granth Sahib. Ranveer and Deepika flew in Bhai Narinder Singh of the Golden Temple to officiate their wedding.
The daily reports that the Akal Takht Jathedar has said that once they receive a formal complaint, the matter will be forwarded to five high priests, who will then take a decision.
At Deepika and Ranveer's wedding in Italy last week, the couple is said to have created a makeshift gurudwara inside their wedding venue, the exotic Villa del Balbianello at Lake Como, where their Anand Karaj ceremony was conducted.
Ranveer and Deepika returned to India on Sunday. They were met by a sea of fans and paparazzi upon their arrival at the Mumbai airport. The two will hold a reception for their extended family in Bangalore on November 21 and for the friends from Bollywood in Mumbai on November 28.