Polygyny in India

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Polygamy, including polygyny, is outlawed in India. While it was not prohibited in Ancient India and was common among aristocrats and emperors, it is believed that it was not a major cultural practice. The lack of prohibition was in part due to the separation between land laws and religion (independence of the judiciary), and partially since all of the major religions of India portrayed polygamy in a neutral light. [1]

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Gayatri Devi, the third wife of Sawai Man Singh II of Jaipur, pictured by Cecil Beaton in 1940 Cecil Beaton Photographs- Political and Military Personalities IB698.jpg
Gayatri Devi, the third wife of Sawai Man Singh II of Jaipur, pictured by Cecil Beaton in 1940

In contrast to Europe, polygamy prevailed in ancient India for rulers and kings. [2] It was common for rulers (for example Bhupinder Singh of Patiala and Fateh Singh of Udaipur and Mewar). Some wealthy individuals (for example Ramkrishna Dalmia, Gajanan Birla [3] and P. Rajagopal) had multiple wives.

The British colonial Empire of India permitted Islamic provinces to allow husbands to have multiple wives. When Maharaja Ranjit Singh was cremated in Lahore, four of his wives and seven concubines took to sati, [4] and their urn-like memorials exist at his Samadhi. [5]

Polygyny Polygyny (bold, color).svg
Polygyny

Section 494 and 495 of the Indian Penal Code of 1860, prohibited polygamy for the Christians. In 1955, the Hindu Marriage Act was drafted, which prohibited marriage of a Hindu whose spouse was still living. Thus polygamy became illegal in India in 1956, uniformly for all of its citizens except for Muslims, who are permitted to have four wives and for Hindus in Goa and along the western coast where bigamy is legal [6] .

A polygamous Hindu marriage is null and void. [7] While the punishment specified in Sections 494 and 495 is applicable, it is rare if the first spouse does not have an objection.

Muslim polygamy

Muslims in the rest of the country are subject to the terms of The Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act of 1937, interpreted by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board [8] .

However, in a judgment in February 2015, the Supreme court of India stated that "Polygamy was not an integral or fundamental part of the Muslim religion, and monogamy was a reform within the power of the State under Article 25". [9]

Hindu polygamy in modern India

Legally the second wife of a Hindu would be a mistress, although religiously and socially she may be considered a wife.

Polygamy among Hindus is sometimes accepted in some rural areas, [10] often with approval by earlier wives. The 2005–06 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) found that 2 percent of women reported that their husband had other wives besides herself. Husbands of women with no children are more likely to have multiple wives. [11]

Chand is a social drama film dealing with the story of a childless couple with Balraj Sahni and Meena Kumari in lead roles. The film was based in the year 1955, before the abolition of polygamy.

Mizoram

In Mizoram state, a Christian sect known as "Lalpa Kohhran Thar" (literal translation "The Lord's New Church"), sometimes known as "Khuangtuaha Pawl" or "Pu Chana Páwl" or "Ziona Pawl" (referring the leaders; pawl means sect or organisation) practices polygamy. [12] [13] Khuangtuaha (1891–1955) formed the sect in 1942, and was supported by his younger brother Chana (1910–1997). Chana introduced polygamous marriage and had seven wives. [14] Khuangtuaha followed suit and married three wives. [15] Chana's son, Ziona (1945–2021), was the most prolific polygamous man of the sect. At the time of his death in 2021, he had 38 wives, 89 children and 33 grandchildren. [16] [17] [18] But polygamy is not practiced freely; men are allowed to marry wives only if they can support them by livelihood, [19] and this is decided by the priests. [15] Only the leaders and their elite lineages are usually able to afford the conditions; thus, it is not widely practiced. [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

Polygamy is the practice of marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, it is called polygyny. When a woman is married to more than one husband at the same time, it is called polyandry. In sociobiology and zoology, researchers use polygamy in a broad sense to mean any form of multiple mating.

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References

  1. ↑ "Polyandrous family customs in India". Drishtikone. 23 August 2008. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  2. ↑ "Polygamous Marriages in India, Vaidehi Yelamanchili, Sulabha Parasuraman, Population Association of America, 2010 Annual Meeting". Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  3. ↑ The Birlas: Empire in transition, T.N. Ninan, Chander Uday Singh, Sumanta Sen, India Today, 20 July 2013
  4. ↑ Samadhi of Ranjit Singh – a sight of religious harmony, Pakistan Today, JANUARY 16, 2016, NADEEM DAR
  5. ↑ ‘Sati’ choice before Maharaja Ranjit’s Ranis, Kanwarjit Singh Kang, 28 June 2015
  6. ↑ Mishra, Arvind (2 July 2023). "How uniform is Goa's civil code? | Explained". India Today. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  7. ↑ Modern Indian Family Law, Werner Menski, Routledge, 2013 p.194
  8. ↑ Anand, Akriti (29 October 2023). "What Indian laws say about polygamy | Explained | Today News". mint. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  9. ↑ "Polygamy not integral part of Islam: SC | India News - Times of India". The Times of India .
  10. ↑ Some Indian men are marrying multiple wives to help beat drought, Mallika Kapur, CNN, 16 July 2015
  11. ↑ "Polygamous Marriages in India". Archived from the original on 10 May 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  12. ↑ Vanlalchhuanga (1984). An Zirtirnate [Their Teachings] (in Mizo). Aizawl (India): Gosen Press. pp. 51–54.
  13. ↑ Baruah, Sriparna B. (2011). "Baktwang – The Carpentry Hamlet of Mizoram" . Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  14. ↑ Mathews, Jane (21 October 2011). "One big happy family (all 181 of them)". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  15. 1 2 Dokhuma, James (1997). Zoram Tualto Kohhran Chanchin [Indigenous Denominations in Mizoram] (in Mizo) (2 ed.). Aizawl (India). p. 65.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  16. ↑ Nath, Hemanta Kumar (13 June 2021). "Mizoram's Ziona Chana, head of world's largest family, passes away at 76". India Today. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  17. ↑ "Ziona Chana: Head of 'world's largest family' dies in India's Mizoram state". BBC News. 14 June 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  18. ↑ Gupta, Swati; Rahim, Zamira (14 June 2021). "The head of the 'world's biggest family' has died at age 76". CNN. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  19. ↑ "Man with 160-member family in Mizoram". Deccan Herald. 9 November 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  20. ↑ Udas, Sumnima (31 October 2011). "Is 160 enough? One Indian man's family". CNN. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
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