Bedecked with flowers the groom stood in regal splendour near the coy bride.

But it was no ordinary wedding as Siba, a bull, was on Monday married off to Sibani, a cow, amidst much fanfare near Sambalpur in Orissa in the presence of 10,000 guests.

A Laxmipati Rao, a resident of Sargipalli village, organised the wedding for which 3,000 invitations had been distributed.

The wedding was solemnised by priests specially brought from Andhra Pradesh even as a band played film tunes. The cow was given away by Y Satyanarayan and his wife who live in the same village.

The 'baarat' came to Satyanarayan's house from where the cow was sent off with the bull after the wedding was solemnised and the guests had a hearty meal.