Is it legal for one woman to marry 2 men? All about Himachal's rare Polyandry tribal tradition | WION Explains

The whole interest was divided after finding out that a woman in India's Himachal Pradesh married two brothers in a rare tribal tradition. The woman who hails from Himachal's Shillai village married two brothers in a rare polyandrous ceremony. This tradition is locally known as Jodidara. The wedding ceremony began on July 12 and lasted for three days. The bride, Sunita Chauhan, told the news agency PTI that she was aware of the tradition and made the decision to marry the two brothers, Pradeep and Kapil Negi.

“We followed the tradition publicly, as we are proud of it, and it was a joint decision," one of Sunita's husbands, Pradeep, said. Kapil, who lives abroad, added that this union will ensure support, stability and love for the wife as a united family. "We've always believed in transparency," he said. The throuple belongs to the Hatti tribe.

Who are the Hattis?

Hatti is a closed-knit community in the Himachal Pradesh-Uttarakhand border and comes under the Scheduled Tribe. Polyandry in this tribe is accepted by the society.

What is the ‘Jodidara'?

It is a tradition where two or more brothers share one wife. It is often linked to the Mahabharata, as the Panchala princess Draupadi was married to the five Pandava brothers, hence sometimes called Draupadi Pratha.

Why is it practised?

The tradition allows the wife to shift 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.

The aim of the tradition is to help tribal families prevent the fragmentation of ancestral land. Since Himachal is a land of agriculture and families are dependent largely on this only for their livelihood, the Jodidara allows a single woman to marry multiple brothers to keep the property consolidated and avoid splitting it among heirs.

Is it legal?

The Indian law prohibits polyandry, but the Himachal Pradesh High Court has acknowledged and protected this custom under "Jodidar Law". The practice is allowed in the tribal groups.