The Nail Trimming Ceremony
Uguru Madichuva Shastra in English means cutting the nail ceremony. This is a unique ritual conducted in the Kannada Gowda marriages where a barber will cut the groom’s hair, trim his nails and give him a shave on the day of the wedding. The barber in return will get cash and clothes, rice, coconut, and bananas as a gift for his service. 

Significance of Uguru Madichuva Shastra in Kannada Gowda Weddings
A ‘Gowda’ is a title given to the leader or an elder in their community and by including this ritual in their weddings they are showing the inclusiveness of other castes which is essential to rule a village. Earlier, a barber who was invited to this nail cutting ceremony considered it as a great honour to provide this service. 

In modern times, this ritual is conducted by professional barbers who style the hair and shave the facial hair and trim the nails. This ritual is symbolic that the groom is moving from bachelorhood to Grihastha ashram and thus getting ready to take the familial responsibilities. The same nail cutting tradition is followed in the bride's house too. 

After the conclusion of this event, the groom gets a purity bath also called the Ganga Snana where 'Snana' means bath.