2. Polyandry: A form of polygamy whereby a woman takes two
or more husbands at the same time.
3. POLYANDRY: AN ANCIENT TRADITION
The practice of polyandry is believed to stem from the tale
of Mahabharata, the ancient Indian epic.
The tale, one of the cornerstones of Indian
culture, Draupadi, daughter of the King of Pancha being
married to five brothers.
It is not legal, but in its most common form - whereby
women in polyandrous relationships marry more than one
man from the same family - it is permitted.
It tends to be practised in male dominated villages, which
still follow primitive rituals and customs. Brothers who
refuse the union are often treated as outcasts.
4. Draupadi with her five husbands - the Pandavas. The central figure is
Yudhishthira; the two on the bottom are Bhima and Arjuna. Nakula and
Sahadeva, the twins, are standing.
5. POLYANDRY: AN ANCIENT TRADITION
In polyandrous families, the woman often cannot say which
of her husbands fathered which children.
The practice is also believed to be a way of keeping
farming land in the family.
It is most commonly found near the Himalayas in the north
of the country, as well as in the mountainous nation of
Tibet.
While the advance of modernity has seen the archaic
practice largely die out in most areas, the shortage of
women in countries such as China and India has helped
keep it alive as a solution to young men's difficulties in
finding a wife.
6. Five brothers (L-R) Sant Ram Verma, 28, Bajju Verma, 32, Gopal
Verma, 26, Guddu Verma, 21, and Dinesh Verma, 19, with their shared wife
Rajo Verma, 20, and their son Jay Verma.
