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In this type of marriage one woman marries more than one man (husband) at a given time. Polyandry is even less common than polygyny. Polyandry is also of two types:
- Fraternal Polyandry: It is also called as ‘Adelphic polyandry’. In this a woman is married to a group of brothers. The children are treated as the offspring of the eldest brother regardless of who the biological father is. This type of marriage usually occurs in the Himalayan areas of Nepal and Tibet. Fraternal polyandry is prevalent among the Todas of Nilgiri Hills, Iravans and Kammala caste of Malabar in Kerala. In Hindu mythology, it is found among the five brothers called Pandavas.
- Levirate: It is a specialized version of fraternal polyandry where a man marries the widow of his dead brother. Levirate is the derivative of Latin word ‘Levir’ which means ‘Husband’s Brother’. It is popularly known as devar vivah. This practice helped maintain and reinforce family connections and alliances created by marriages. The form prevails among the Ahirs of Haryana, some Jats and Gujars and some other castes of U.P.
- Non- Fraternal Polyandry: In this, all the husbands of a woman are not necessarily brothers. The woman lives with her different husbands in turns. While she lives with one husband, others have no right or claim over her. If a child is born, any husband can be chosen as the child’s social parent through a special ritual. This type of marriage is practiced among Nair of Kerala & Tibetians.
Reasons behind the origin or prevalence of polyandry:
Just like polygyny, Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, has legally prohibited polyandry among all those who are governed by it. Still, certain communities and tribes have the liberty to practice it. There are various biological, ecological and cultural factors that are responsible for the origin and prevalence of polyandry in certain communities and tribes of India. Those factors are:
- A difficult economy, especially an unfertile soil, which does not favour division of land and belongings and makes maintenance of individual wives difficult;
- Scarce environmental resources or scarcity of food supply, which made it compulsory to limit human population growth and enhance child survival;
- Desire to let family property stay within the family for generations and distribute work within family (especially in fraternal polyandry);
- Desire to preserve the unity and solidarity of the sibling group (in fraternal polyandry);
- It allows one of the husbands to be away for work like commercial or military journey from months to years at a time without disrupting the family;
- It also provides economic security for the wife when one of her husband dies;
- Scarcity of women in the society due to female infanticide and appropriation of many women by polygamous chiefs and strong men in a tribe.
- Polyandry is often practiced due to poverty and heavy bride price.
Reasons behind decline in the practice of polyandry:
Besides, legal prohibition, polyandry practice is seen to decline because of the following reasons:
- The paternity of the children practically remains uncertain.
- It finds an insuperable barrier in male jealousy and in the male sense of proprietorship;
- It is directly opposed to the welfare of the husband, wife and children, and fatal to the fecundity of the race.
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