When the groom is ready, the wedding band starts playing to herald his arrival at the wedding hall. He walks holding a gejje thand, an ebony staff adorned with silver bands and bells, that serves as his proxy at his wedding, if for any reason he is unable to be present there! The groom is led by his bojakaara who holds an umbrella covered with white cloth over the groom’s head. They are preceded by a girl holding a thaliyathakki bolcha and four men beating dudis and singing the batte paat (song for the way). The groom’s sister or cousin accompanies them, carrying the wedding poliya (a reed basket filled with puffed rice, coconuts, bananas, jaggery cubes and a kindi of milk on her head). This is believed to be a vestigial trace of the old custom where the groom’s party took provisions to the bride’s house for the wedding feast.