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NDTV
20-07-2025
- General
- NDTV
Woman Marries 2 Brothers: Himachal Pradesh's Polyandry Custom Explained
Two brothers from the Hatti community in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district married the same woman in a public ceremony in the presence of thousands of locals. Sunita Chauhan from Kunhat village married Pradeep and Kapil Negi of Shillai under the traditional polyandrous practice known locally as " Jodidara". The three-day wedding, held in the Trans-Giri region beginning July 12, featured folk songs, dances, and rituals unique to the Hatti culture. Sunita Chauhan said the decision was mutual and free from any pressure. What Is The ' Jodidara ' Practice In Himachal Pradesh? Jodidara is a traditional form of fraternal polyandry, where two or more brothers share one wife. The practice has historical roots among the Hatti tribe in Himachal Pradesh's Trans-Giri region. It is often linked to the Mahabharata, as the Panchala princess Draupadi was married to the five Pandava brothers, hence sometimes called Draupadi Pratha. Locals also refer to the practice as Ujla Paksh or Jodidaran. How And Why It Is Practiced Under Jodidara, the wife shifts between brothers on a mutually agreed schedule, whether nightly, weekly, or otherwise. The entire family raises the children together. While the eldest brother is typically named the legal father, all the siblings actively share parenting responsibilities. The Jodidara practice helps tribal families prevent the fragmentation of ancestral land. In Himachal's hilly regions, where agriculture sustains livelihoods, families rely on undivided land for survival. By marrying a single woman to multiple brothers, they keep the property consolidated and avoid splitting it among heirs. The system preserves unity in joint families. When brothers share a wife, they strengthen their bond and keep the household intact. This arrangement provides social and economic stability, especially in the mountainous terrain, where families work together to manage farms and daily life. Is This Practice Legal? Though the Indian law prohibits polyandry, the Himachal Pradesh High Court has acknowledged and protected this custom under " Jodidar Law", allowing it to continue among tribal groups. Hatti community leaders consider this tradition an essential cultural marker. The Hattis, living across roughly 450 villages in the Trans-Giri area, were granted Scheduled Tribe status partly because of their unique tribal traditions, including Jodidaran. Though modern values have led to its decline, the Jodidara tradition still survives in small pockets. In the last six years, families in Himachal's Trans-Giri region have solemnised five polyandrous marriages, keeping the custom alive in villages across Sirmaur.
India Today
19-07-2025
- General
- India Today
Two brothers, one bride: Himachal village keeps alive age-old polyandry
One bride and two brothers. Yes, you read that right! A village in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district kept alive the age-old tradition of polyandry, wherein a woman married two men who are brothers, despite the practice not being legally recognised in Negi and Kapil Negi, two brothers from the Hatti tribe from Shillai village, married Sunita Chauhan from Kunhat village, in a ceremony held in the Trans-Giri area, which lasted from July 12 to 14, and witnessed by hundreds of people. advertisementPradeep works in a government department while his younger brother Kapil has a job abroad. The throuple said they took the decision without any pressure and got consent from their families. A video of the marriage has surfaced on social media. The polyandry marriage has sparked a widespread discussion on social POLYANDRY IS CHERISHED IN HIMACHAL VILLAGES AND NOT ACROSS INDIA?Despite polyandry being illegal in India, the practice remains prevalent in several villages of Sirmaur district. The tradition is also alive in Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti districts in Himachal Pradesh, and some parts of neighbouring Uttarakhand, though in some villages there, the practice is slowly from the Hatti tribe argue that the marriage remains intact, even if worse was to befall on one of the two men. Known locally as 'Jodidaran' or 'Draupadi Pratha', after Draupadi of the Mahabharata who had the five Pandavas as her husbands, polyandry ensures that family properties remain intact across the Hattis, polyandry not only remains a cherished part of their cultural heritage, but is also a means to sustain their lives in a world full of Hattis, having recently been granted Scheduled Tribe status, view polyandry as a crucial marker of cultural identity. However, the shift towards modern values and urban lifestyles poses a challenge to the continuation of the anachronistic an interview with last year, Kundan Singh Shastri, general secretary of Hatti Central Coimmittee, believes 'Jodidaran' will die a slow death as more villagers become educated and shift to cities for Hattis are governed by the Hindu Marriage Act and for official purposes. However, there are provisions in Indian laws to protect the customs and traditions of other tribal to the recent polyandry marriage in Sirmaur district, Ransingh Chauhan, a lawyer, said the practice has been prevalent in the region for decades and stressed it was legally recognised by the Himachal Pradesh High Court under the 'Jodidar law'."Hundreds of marriages happen through polyandry and other age-old traditions. Media highlighted the marriage in Shillai prominently and they should not be astonished as this is a regular phenomenon. The practice is being done to ensure that families stay united and lands are not divided among themselves," Chauhan, a legal advisor for the Central Hatti Committee, told India Today's TV sister channel, Aaj are 154 panchayats in the 1,300-square-km Trans-Giri area, and the Hatti community is present in 147 of reported last year about the instances of polyandry among women in the villages of Himachal Pradesh and how they view the practice, and live their lives with their husbands in the hilly areas.- Ends(with inputs from Dinesh Kanojia)Must Watch IN THIS STORY#Himachal Pradesh
