The girl's father next makes a solemn declara tion in the presence of the assembled Brahmans, thus 0 Brahmans ! to this youth M., learned in the Vedas, the son of N., to him I give my daughter, dressed in gay apparel, and adorned with gems.' The Brahmans answer: "ratha astu,' So let it be. The father-in-law having taken the hand of his daughter, now puts it into the hand of the bridegroom, and pours over them water sacred to Vishnu. The pouring of water, according to eastern custom, makes is gift irrevocable, and the marriage should be now complete. The Sapta-padi, and the ceremony of tying on the Tali, have, however, been superadded. The wooden yoke of a bullock used to the plough is brought, and lightly laid upon the head of the bride. A veil is then held up between her and the bride groom, and the mangala ashtaka or eight auspicious verses are recited. They form a canticle calling upon the gods, the saints, the trees, the hills, and the rivers to witness and to be auspicious to the union. The veil then falls, and the bridegroom binds a golden ornament, called the Tali, around the neck of the bride. This can never be removed except in the unhappy event of her becoming a widow. Then follow the homain or sacrifice to Agni, the god of fire, in which the bride and bridegroom take together the Sapta-padi, or seven steps, amidst the loud chanting of the Vedas. From this observance the term Saptn-padinam has become synonymous with friendship ; and it is common for two persons to swear eternal friend ship by taking seven steps together. Next comes the ceremony of eating, what is called Madliu rarkam, literally mead mixture. Grains of parched rice are now substituted, but the name of the ceremony is still allowed to perpetuate the memory of the fact, that in times past the Brahmans did not scruple to drink liquors, although they now strictly prohibit their use. On the third day after marriage, the atten tion of the bride is directed to a small star named Arundhati, near the constellation of the Great Bear, and she is exhorted to follow the chaste example of Arundhati, the wife of the rishi Vasishta, who, on account of her conjugal fidelity, was deified and placed among the stars. On the fourth night a torch-light procession sets out, and the bride and bridegroom are carried round and round the village in a palanquin, with music and dancing. This goes on till sunrise. They are then conducted home, and are received at the threshold by some married women, whose husbands are still living, for the sight of a widow at such a time is considered most inauspicious. They are then seated, and a lamp is waved round their heads to avert the ill effects of the evil eye ; and for the same purpose the bride sometimes wears a coral bead with the jewel of her Tali. Somewhat in the same way as the English send round wedding cake and cards, the Hindus distribute betel leaves with the nut of the areea palm, and grains of rice coloured red. The friends of the bride now come to offer their congratulations, and a common wish at this time is : May you live long and bear sixteen.' Expenses at the marriages of several of the races of India are very heavy. Among Shrimali Vania and Oswal Vania it is difficult to secure a bride unless the bridegroom spend between 2000 and 3000 rupees for her. The number of Shrimali and Oswal Vania among the Jains is no less than 32,280, or more than two-thirds of the entire Jain population of Baroda. Besides this, their commercial and trading tendencies oblige many of them to leave their homes, and thus they are obliged to remain single. Moreover, the daughters of Shrimali Vania are returned as Hindus when they are married to Meshri or Vaishnava Vania. The Shrawaks often give their daughters to the Vaishnava, while the latter but rarely give their daughters to Shrawaks.
The ruling family of Rewah have been dominant in that state for many generations. They are much respected by the people and neighbouring chiefs, taking daughters in marriage from the very highest and proudest houses in Hindustan. About the year 1874 one bride was said to have taken with her a dower of five lakhs of rupees.
The dowry in Tamil marriages is regulated accord ing to a fixed scale, the highest caste being rated lowest. That of a maiden of the Vellalar, the first in rank of the Tilian agricultural castes, was formerly 11, and is ow 21 pon, which in every day usage are represented by 38i and 73 rupees, —a on being equal to a pagoda. In addition. to
the dowry, the bridegrochn's parents give another pon tied up in a piece of cloth, under the name of Mulei pal mudichi, or Mulei pal kuli, literally breast-milk packet, or breast-milk hire, typifying that the expenses of the bride's rearing are thereby discharged, and that she has become thenceforth the purchased property of her husband.
The passages in Mann as to the purchasing a bride by a dower are contradictory ; possibly the practice varied, as now, with the different races. With the agricultural classes of the N. W. Provinces, the bride's father purchases the' bridegroom by gifts of money and household utensils. When Prithi-raj carried off the daughter of Jye-chand, her father nevertheless sent to him the richest gems, the fruit of the victory of Biji Pal, inestim able wealth, pearls, elephants, and dyes. And when Prithi-raj married the daughter of Dahima of Biana, her father gave him 8 beauteous damsels, 63 female slaves, 100 Irak horses, 2 elephants, 10 shields, a pallet of silver for the bride, 100 wooden. images, 100 chariots, and 1000 pieces of gold. This costly system has its origin in the desire to marry a daughter into a higher family. The dread of these marriage expenses and pride of race led to infanticide. They chiefly went in presents to Bards, Charans, and Brahmans. If the legend can be trusted, when Sita was married to Rama the palace of Janaka was full of Brahmans ' How many thousand Brahmans here, From every region far and near, Well versed in holy lore appear.' But Muhammadans of India also have a profuse expenditure. In the year 1850, when the foster brother of the nawab of the Carnatic was married, about £10,000 were expended in idle ceremonial. More recently, a Gaekwar of Baroda, on the demise of his first wife, married a second time. The procession passed on its way, winding through the city till it arrived at the bridal abode, which was very tastefully ornamented and fitted up. The bride was modestly and thickly veiled. The bands played, the guns thundered a royal salute, the soldiers fired a feu-de-joie "Twas not the air, 'twas not the guns, 'Twas not the feu-de-joie that runs Fair up and down the double rank, But one glad shout that softly sank, At once a thousand voices said " It is the veiled Marathi maid."' • The bride, as is customary, sat on a basket, her royal lover sat in front of her, and fine cords were then wound round the two contracting parties to betoken the indissoluble nature of the bond between them.
Wealthy Hindu families— often marry their daughters into poor families in order to keep their son-in-law under their own roofs. These are called Ghar-jamai, or home-bred son-in-law. A son-in-law of the Kuhn race is particularly desired, but the position is deemed degrading. In some cases in Baroda the father of a Ilindu girl retains a lad in his house, and the girl and the lad live as man and wife without being united in marriage. In such eases the lad is called Ahariyo or Asariyo. In other instances the bridegroom-elect has to serve his father-in-law for five years before he is entitled to take away his bride. He is then called Bandadiyo.
TVidows.—With the Koupoi tribe of the Nagas of the N.E. frontier, on the death of a man's wife, her father or next-of-kin demands the price of her bones (Mundoo) from the widower-husband. Their widows are taken by the deceased husband's brother. It was a custom amongst several Scythic races for widows to burn themselves, or be buried alive, or to be destroyed by the sword or dagger, and interred along with their husband's remains. This practice prevailed in thu East Indies up to the middle of the 19th century, when it was pro hibited by the British, but it is still followed in the island of Bali, in the Eastern Archipelago. In a Government notification in the Foreign Department, Simla, the 7th April 1847, the Governor-General expressed much satisfaction in republishing a proclamation by the Gwalior darbar, prohibiting the practice of sati within the territories of maharaja Sindia. The Governor General also, in 1847, republished documents prohibiting female infanticide in Jeypore, and limiting the demands of the religious Bhat, Charan, Dholi, and Merasi sects on occasions of marriages in Rajput families.