Groom Market’ Where Women Go To Buy Husband

 

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The Indian state of Bihar has been home to a distinctive groom marketplace where women and their families go to look for spouses for more than 700 years.

Every year, in the Madhubani district of India’s Bihar state, thousands of men congregate under the Pipal trees to wait to be selected by potential wives. The nine-day groom market, also known as Saurath Mela or Sabhagachhi, was purportedly established more than seven centuries ago by Raja Hari Singh of the Karnat dynasty to make it simpler for women to choose the ideal husband among a wide range of men. Each groom is given a fee depending on their capacity, including their family history and educational background.

Consider picking up your life companion at a market. Even if it seems absurd in this day and age, some Maithili women in Bihar actually chose their spouses in this manner. They look through the various offers with their families at their sides, request documentation such as birth certificates and academic transcripts, and if they find someone they like (and can afford), they begin discussing the specifics.

Recently, Al Jazeera covered Bihar’s customary groom market, finding that engineers, physicians, and government workers are in high demand, with the young ones being the most well-liked. Despite the fact that dowries are unofficially forbidden in India and that one of the main objectives of the groom market was to do away with them, it is nevertheless customary for young, eligible bachelors to seek sizable dowries from the prospective bride’s family.

It appears that the brides themselves have very little influence over the groom’s selection. Their families finally make the decision, selecting the bachelor who achieves a decent mix between affordability and a strong résumé.

The groom market of Bihar still attracts thousands of bachelors, some of whom travel hundreds of kilometers in the goal of being chosen, even if it isn’t nearly as well-known as it was just a few decades ago due primarily to more convenient options, such online dating applications

Interestingly, India also has a bride market. In Haudati, brides are available for various prices, depending on their qualifications and homemaking skills.