Pick & Choose a Husband - 'Swayamvar'

"Swayamvar" in ancient India was a practice of choosing a life partner from among a list of suitors by a girl of marriageable age.

In this practice, the girl's father decides to conduct the Swayamvara of the daughter at an auspicious time and venue, and broadcasts the news of this to the outside world. Kings, typically, used to send messengers to outside lands whereas commoners arranged to spread the news within the local community.

A poverty-hit tribal girl accepted a youth as her groom on Tuesday night at a gathering of about 15,000 persons in a remote Chhattisgarh village at the first ever 'Swayamvar' in the state in decades.

Bride's father Ramratan Thakur, a highly religious person, had announced at least a month ago to marry off his daughter to a youth who would successfully reply to questions related to the creation of human beings.

The long wait of thousands of people, who assembled in an open ground at the village, ended around 10 p.m. when a tribal youth Ghanaram successfully answered a question "Panchtatva rachi adham sharira, chhiti jal pawak gagan sameera" (The body is made of five elements - earth, water, air, space, fire).

Read more..................................................Tribal girl chooses spouse in first ever 'swayamvar'

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