If there was one marriage made in heaven, this was it.

The brilliance of well-preserved silk Kanjivarams and the smell of white jasmine overpowered the seating area while the dais was bedecked with garlands of marigolds and clusters of banana leaves. And, as the clock struck six, the chant of 'mantras' and the strains of the 'nadaswaram' (a musical instrument, quite like the 'shehnai') pervaded the air, transforming the mundane MMRDA ground at Bandra, Mumbai, into something much more hallowed on Saturday.

The 'Srinivasa Kalyanam' — the coming together of Lord Balaji and his consort, Padmavati, in holy matrimony — right here in earthly Mumbai was not to be passed up.

Devotees from all parts of Maharashtra, and beyond, were in attendance as the wedding ceremony of the most revered deity in large parts of south India was performed in Mumbai. The idols were specially brought from Tirupati for the wedding to be performed over Saturday and Sunday evenings. The made-in-heaven marriage was also a first for Mumbai and the rest of the country beyond Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. This is the first time the gods are being married outside south India, thanks to the efforts of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam and the South Indian Education Society.

The significance of Saturday's event could also be gauged by the list of the wedding guests. Besides devotees from all over the country and politicians cutting across party barriers, the list also included Kanchi Shankaracharya Swami Jayendra Saraswati and Maharashtra governor S M Krishna.