The Quarterly Journal of the Mythic Society (New Series) April 1950

The passing of the Sarda"MARRIAGE INSTITUTIONS IN INDIA 133 Act in 1929 penalising the marriage of girls before the age of fourteen produced a reaction in the orthodox sections of the Hindu Society. [...] The first the kanyakaddna is performed by the father who pours out a libation of water symbolising the giving up of the daughter to the bridegroom who accepts the gift and the bride's father exhorts the bridegroom not to fail the girl in the pursuit of dhartna artha and käma and the groom replies that he shall never fail her in these. [...] This requires that having placed a mill-stone to the west of the fire and a water-pot to the north-east of it the bridegroom has to offer oblations the bride participating by holding the hand that makes the offering. [...] On the fifth day the bridegroom and the bride anoint each other with oil and the latter combs the hair of the former. [...] It is often said that the marriage of girls after puberty is due to superfluity of girls consequent on the marriage of only the eldest son in their families and that the ifluence of hypergamy which gives rise to a vigorous competition for bridegrooms in the upper groups the disappearance of the custom of the bride price the appearance of the increased bridgroom's price and the inability o