Kankotri, Lagna Patrika or Pathirikai: What Each Region Puts on a Wedding Card
Kankotri, lagna patrika, shubhalekha, pathirikai: what each region calls the wedding card, what goes on it, and how to keep those customs digitally.
By the VowStory Team
Updated
In this guide
What the card is called, region by region
| Language or community | What the card is called | What families usually expect on it |
|---|---|---|
| Gujarati | Kankotri | Named after kanku (kumkum). Ganesh at the top. The first kankotri is often placed before Ganesh or the family deity before any are sent. Lists rituals such as mandap muhurat, graha shanti, pithi and the arrival of the jaan. |
| Marathi | Lagna patrika | “Shubh vivah” at the top. Exact muhurat time. Pre-wedding events such as sakharpuda and halad. A list of family members who invite you. |
| Hindi-speaking states | Shaadi card, vivah nimantran patra | A Ganesh shloka. “Shubh vivah”. Lists of swagatakankshi (those who welcome you) and darshanabhilashi (those eager to see you). |
| Telugu | Pelli patrika, pelli shubhalekha | The muhurtham date and time, often with the lagnam. Printed cards often have turmeric touched to the corners for luck. |
| Tamil | Kalyana pathirikai, thirumana azhaippithal | The muhurtham time window. Both families’ names and native places. |
| Kannada | Lagna patrike, maduve aamantrana patrike | The muhurta, the family deity, and the families’ native places. |
| Bengali | Biyer card, nimontron potro | The Prajapati butterfly symbol and “Prajapataye Namah”. Separate lines for the wedding and the bou bhaat (reception at the groom’s home). |
| Punjabi and Sikh | Anand Karaj card | Ik Onkar at the top. The Gurdwara and the time of the Anand Karaj. Events such as the jaggo and the reception. |
Customs differ from family to family, even within one community. Treat this table as a starting point and ask the elders what they expect to see. That conversation saves a reprint.
What every version has in common
Whatever the card is called, guests read it for the same five things:
- Who is inviting. Parents, grandparents or the couple themselves.
- Who is getting married, with the names spelt the way the families want them.
- Each ceremony on its own line, with its date, time and venue. A guest invited to the sangeet but not the pheras needs to see that clearly.
- The muhurat or start time, written exactly. For a muhurat, write the window (“10:42 to 11:20 am”), not a rounded time.
- How to reach the family: a phone number, an RSVP or both.
If you are writing the words, our guide to wedding invitation wording has examples for parents and for couples. For Hindi wording, see wedding card matter in Hindi.
Keeping the customs when the card goes digital
Most families now send the invitation on WhatsApp and keep a few printed cards for elders and for the puja. Each custom can survive the move:
- The first card for God. Many families print one card, or a small batch, just for this, and send the digital invitation to everyone else. Doing this keeps the ritual and doesn’t need a full print run.
- The invocation at the top. Put the shloka, “Shri Ganeshaya Namah”, “Prajapataye Namah” or Ik Onkar first, before the names, just as on paper. Write it in the script the family uses, not in transliteration.
- Every ritual, not just the wedding. A printed card runs out of space, so the graha shanti or the mameru gets squeezed into a footnote. A digital invitation can give each one its own section, with a time and a map.
- The family list. Keep the main screen for the names, the date and the venue. Put the longer list of uncles, aunts and grandparents lower down, where it reads well on a phone.
- Two languages. A common pattern is the blessing and the couple’s names in the regional script, with the event details in English, so every guest can read the time and the address.
- Turmeric and kumkum. These need paper. If the family wants them, keep a few printed cards for the elders and the temple.
Sending to family elders
Elders often want the card in hand. Two approaches that work:
- Print a small batch for the grandparents’ generation and the family deity, and send the digital link to everyone else.
- Call before you send. For elders, a short phone call before the WhatsApp message is still the respectful order. Our guide to sending a wedding invitation on WhatsApp covers the wording and the order.
How VowStory handles regional cards
Every VowStory invitation gives each ceremony its own date, time, venue and map. Shubharambh covers 2 events, Utsav 4 and Maharaja 8, so a kankotri’s mandap muhurat, graha shanti and wedding can each have their own section. Blessing lines are available in Devanagari, Gujarati, Bengali, Odia, Gurmukhi, Tamil and Telugu script. The Vaikuntha Mahal design is a South Indian temple invitation, and Anand Vilas is made for Punjabi weddings.
Frequently asked questions
Is it all right to send a kankotri or lagna patrika on WhatsApp?
For most guests, yes. That’s now the common way. For grandparents, the family deity and very close relatives, many families still give a printed card or call first.
Should the card be in English or the regional language?
Use the regional script where it carries meaning: the invocation, the blessing and sometimes the couple’s names. Put the times, dates and addresses in English as well, so every guest can read them.
What is the difference between a pathirikai and a shubhalekha?
They are the same thing in two languages. Pathirikai is the Tamil word and shubhalekha (or pelli patrika) is the Telugu word for a wedding invitation.
