Amit Shah, a choreographer and founder of a dance company recently married Aditya Madiraju who works for a risk management company.

And while their wedding pics are stunning as most are, the images of their special day has gone viral.

Because the couple, originally from India and now living in New Jersey, U.S, had a traditional Hindu ceremony.

The fact that they wed at a Hindu temple was particularly special as it’s not often that same-sex marriages take place there, says Aditya.

Their union, many have told them on Instagram, has given other gay Indian couples hope for their own future.

Amit, 32, and Aditya, 31, were officially married at a city hall earlier in the month but felt it was important for them to have a religious ceremony too.

‘Having a traditional wedding is something that wasn’t out of ordinary for either of us as we come from pretty traditional and conservative backgrounds,’ said Aditya who was born in South India but lived in the U.S for the past nine years.

‘Our parents have taught us a lot about religion and how to follow customs. After we got married at City Hall, we knew we wanted something more traditional with our families and friends involved.

‘For us, it didn’t seem complete until we had a chance to conduct the proper Hindu prayers.’

The couple, who met at a mutual friend’s party, said they did not expect all the positive messages they received.

‘We think people fell in love with the photos because the moments captured by our outstanding photographers, Charmi Pena and Paulo Salud, are so real and seem effortless,’ they added.

‘It was such a big moment in our lives, and the photos capture our feelings to perfection. It might also be because the wedding took place in a Hindu temple, and that hasn’t been seen by the world with same-sex marriages.’

Aditya and Amit also feel India is making tremendous progress with LGBTQ rights.

In September of last year, lawyers successfully challenged Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which punishes LGBTQ+ relations.

Two of the lawyers who fought to end the colonial-era laws, Menaka Guruswamy and Arundhati Katju, even came out as a couple recently.

As with Menaka and Arundhati, Aditya and Amit also received a flurry of encoruaging messages.

One person wrote: ‘I want a love like this. Love has no gender’.

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