History of Marriage in India

Paper Summary:

This paper explores the history of marriage in India, where it is viewed as a sacrament and the greatest bond between a man and a woman and between their families. The author discusses arranged marriages and the role of sexual intimacy in marriage. The paper further highlights the different outlooks on marriage between Northern India and Southern India. Also considered is the impact of other cultures in India, including Islamic and Western Culture. The author concludes that despite these cultural influences, marriage remains a sacrament in India.

From the Paper:

"The greatest event in a family in India is a wedding, which celebrates and evokes every possible social obligation, kinship bond, traditional value, sentiment and economic resource (Encyclopedia of Nations 1995). It is considered essential by virtually everyone in the country. The individual sees it as the setting for one's transition to adulthood, which is the result of a combination of choices by everyone in the group or family. Everyone is born in a family and the choice of a family is beyond individual choice, which is why arranging a marriage is a critical responsibility of parents and other relatives on both sides. Some Indian parents make this arrangement at the birth of a child while some wait until later. Child marriage was practiced by small ancient groups, especially the Rajasthan, for their children under the age of five (Encyclopedia of Nations, Stormloader). Hindu scriptures sanctioned the practice and its early consummation and emphasized that a girl should be married before puberty or before her first menstruation. If not, she would go to hell because it would constitute abortion. Their Prophet Islam taught that marrying young girls from 2 to 8 would be ideal. Indians also fixed the age of the groom at ideally three times that of the child bride..."

Sample of Sources Used:

• About.com. Marry Go Round. About, Inc., 2006. http://hinduism.about.com/library/weekly/aa650900a.htm
• Encyclopedia of the Nations. India - Marriage. Country Data, 1995. http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-6043.html
• Family Marriage. http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-6047.html
• Stormloader. Child Marriage - Ancient India. http://www.stormloader.com/munaypata/India.htm accessed April 27, 2006
• White, James, ed. Marriage Among Indians. Claude Belanger, 2004. http://www2.marianapolis.edu/quebechistory/encyclopedia/IndianMarriage.htm

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