Hindu Wedding

According to the holy texts there are eight different types of Hindu marriages. According to many of these eight types of marriages prevailed in ancient India. Among these eight types all dint have religious procedure. The last four are not religiously defined and most of the times were condemned.

Brahma Marriage:
According to the Brahma marriage if the boy completes his Brahmacharya (student hood), he is eligible to be married. This marriage is done when the father of the boy approaches the girl's parents and asks for her hand. And then the Brahma marriage is arranged. In this there is no system of dowry. One of the most important ritual of this marriage is kanyadaan (where the father gifts his daughter to the groom.) Among the eight types the highest type of marriage is the dharmasastras.

Daiva Marriage:
In the case of Daiva marriage the girl is married to a priest. In this kind of a marriage the girl's family look for a suitable man for their daughter and if nobody turns up they go looking for a groom in such places where a sacrifice is being conducted. According to the religious texts Daiva marriage is inferior to Brahma marriage. It is considered degrading for the woman to look for groom by herself or by her family.

Arsha Marriage:
The third type of marriage is called Arsha marriage that is marriage with the sages. In Arsha the bride is given in exchange for two cows, which is received, from the groom. Marriages of this type are said to have happened when the parents of the bride couldn't afford the expense of their daughter's marriage at the right time. Without choice the girl is married to an old sage. This is not considered as a noble marriage at it involves monetary or business transaction.

Prajapatya Marriage:
This kind of marriage is almost similar to the Brahma marriage. There are only two major differences, one is that there is no monetary transaction and Kanyadaan is not a part of Prajapatya marriage. In this marriage the bride's father goes in search for a groom for his daughter.

Gandharva Marriage:
Next is Gandharva marriage, is like the modern day love marriage. Here the bride and the bridegroom marry secretly without the knowledge of their parents. It is not believed to be a right kind of marriage as it is against the will of the parents so it is inferior kind of marriage.

Asura Marriage:
In the Asura kind of marriage the groom is not considered suitable for the bride. He is in no way a match for the girl. The bridegroom gives as much wealth as he can afford to the bride's parents. So this system of marriage is more like buisness.

Rakshasa Marriage:
The Rakshasa marriage is done, when the groom fights battles with the bride's family, defeats them and then carries her away and then persuades her to marry him. This is not at all considered as the right kind of marriage as it includes force.

Paishacha Marriage:
Paishacha marriage is the last kind of marriage. It is considered as the most inferior type of marriage. In this the girl is married against her wishes. This kind of marriage is prohibited.
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