Marriages are the means for the sustenance and propagation of families and traditions, thus ensuring human existence. India is a vast country with cultures and traditions changing over every few kilometers. It also has a historical background that dates back ages. Over the years, just like any other thing even the Indian marriage culture has witnessed a transformation that seems to continue.
Arranged marriages had been the most prominent and in fact the only tradition in India back in the fourth century. This was considered as the foundation of the Indian marriage system. Upon the girl and the boy reaching the age of adolescence, their parents started searching for a suitable match within the community with the help of middle men. Once they found an appropriate fit, the boy’s parents would approach the girl’s family for their approval and thus the marriage was fixed.
Though, falling in love before marriage was considered heinous, references can be found of affectionate relationships between men and women of higher social rank. Polygamy had been prevalent in the time of Kings where they used to have multiple queens staying in harmony in the same palace.
Swayamwars were introduced in the middle ages which were arranged by kings to allow their daughters to choose a groom of their choice. The selection was based solely upon the merits of the princes attending the Swayamwar, and also the choice of the princess.
The emergence of dowry system transformed marriages into materialistic deals, putting at stake the dignity of women and treating them as just another commodity to be given away with the wealth just to relieve her family’s social and moral liability.
Child marriage was prevalent in the medieval times, but rising modernization and globalization have done away with such malpractices with women in the name of marriage.
Times now have changed and the freedom of thought and expression are accompanied by the freedom of choice in the context of marriages. Love marriage is becoming and trend amongst both Indian brides and grooms, but it would be wrong to say the arranged marriages have lost their essence.
We Indians may respect and affiliate ourselves with a hundred different cultures but we are eventually Indian at heart.