Woman marries two brothers in open celebration of Hatti polyandry tradition of Himachal village

The Hatti Polyandry tradition, an age-old practice in a small part of Himachal Pradesh, was recently brought back to life when two brothers married the same girl. The wedding happened with full fanfare and mutual participation of all parties involved. The Tribune reported that Pradeep Negi and Kapil Negi of Shillai village in Sirmaur district got married to a woman named Sunita Chauhan from the nearby Kunhat village. The ceremony celebrated the cultural legacy of the Hatti community. The marriage openly celebrated an age-old Hatti tradition where brothers marry a single woman. The throuple said that they are proud of their history and follow their custom openly. One of the brothers lives abroad, but this did not become a hindrance to taking on a common wife.

The elder brother, Pradeep, works for the Jal Shakti Department, while Kapil works in the hospitality industry. They said that they are committed to the tradition and proud of it. Both of them participated in the rituals, and the entire village stood by them in their decision to bring out the tradition from the closet. Pradeep said, “This was a mutual decision," and that it is based on trust, care and shared responsibility. Meanwhile, Kapil said that since he lives abroad, this marriage "ensures support, security and affection for our wife as a united family." The bride, Sunita, affirmed that she was not pressurised into taking two husbands, and it was her choice. "I am aware of this tradition, and I selected it willingly. We made this pledge together, and I have faith in the bond we have built."

The Hatti Polyandry tradition

The polyandry tradition of the Hatti community in Sirmaur is also known as Jodidaran or Draupadi Pratha. The name stems from the Mahabharat, where Draupadi had five Pandavas as her husbands. The tradition rose as a bid to prevent the division of ancestral land. It is also aimed at keeping the family united. Another argument given in its favour is that it ensures that the woman is never widowed, even if the eldest brother dies. Notably, the woman is usually only married to the eldest brother, but accepts the other brothers also as her husbands. The practice has seen a decline because of modern traditions. However, it is still practised. Last year, the story of Sunila Devi made headlines, who was married to the eldest brother 25 years ago. Her brother-in-law was in school at the time. Several years later, her husband told her to accept him as her husband. Polyandry is also prevalent in some parts of Uttarakhand.