Sambandham was an informal mode of marriage followed by Nambudiris, Nairs, Samantha Kshatriyas, Kshatriyas and Ambalavasis among their own communities as well as with each other, in colonial Kerala, India.[1][2] This practice was stopped during the late 1920s, and is no longer observed.

The Malabar Marriage Act, 1896 defined Sambandham as, "An alliance between a man and a woman, by reason of which they, in accordance with the custom of the community to which they belong, or to which either of them belongs, cohabit or intend to cohabit as husband and wife."[3]

Sambandham also denoted reciprocal marriage among Nairs and this term was not used just to denote hypergamous marriages between the Nambudiris and the Nairs.[4] Alternate names for the system were used by different social groups and in different regions;[4] they included Pudavamuri, Pudavakoda, Vastradanam, Vitaram Kayaruka, Mangalam and Uzhamporukkuka.

Practice

Among Nairs

Among the Nair commoners, men could have multiple sambandham wives, who in turn could have multiple sambandham husbands. A few spouses was the norm, although Nair women could have more than ten husbands, plus temporary relationships with itinerant soldiers. There were prohibitions in place to prevent incest; for example, by forbidding multiple spouses or relationships with those from the same household. Sleeping customs and schedules limited contact between husbands, and there was reportedly no jealousy. If a Nair wife became pregnant, one of the husbands could accept the child. If nobody did, the neighbors would assume that the father was from a lower caste; the woman could be punished, including being disowned and sold into slavery.[5]

Among Nambudhiri Brahmins

The Nambudhiri Brahmins, a noble priestly caste, practiced sambandam as well. The oldest son was permitted to wed a Brahmin woman, and his inheritance (including property) and lineage would pass to his heir. He could also have sambandam wives, which the Brahmins saw as concubines; the Nairs, however, recognized them as sambandham marriages, as above.[5][6] Because the Nambudhiri husband was considered to be a higher rank than his wife, he was forbidden from eating with her or her family members and had to have a separate dining hall in her home, and he could not touch her or their children unless at night or early morning before the ritual bath.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Fuller, C. J. (30 December 1976). The Nayars Today. CUP Archive. ISBN 978-0-521-29091-3.
  2. ↑ Newspaper, The Hindu (3 March 2003). "Seeking royal roots". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 22 October 2010.
  3. ↑ Panikkar, K. M. (July 1918). "Some Aspects of Nayar Life". Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute. 48: 271.
  4. 1 2 Kodoth, Praveena (May 2001). "Courting Legitimacy or Delegitimizing Custom? Sexuality, Sambandham and Marriage Reform in Late Nineteenth-Century Malabar". Modern Asian Studies. 35 (2): 351. doi:10.1017/s0026749x01002037. JSTOR 313121. PMID 18481401. S2CID 7910533.
  5. 1 2 3 Collins, Randall; Randall, Collins; Collins, Professor of Sociology Randall; Collins, Randall Alfred (28 February 1986). Weberian Sociological Theory. Cambridge University Press. pp. 300, 301. ISBN 978-0-521-31426-8.
  6. ↑ Thomas Johnson Nossiter (1 January 1982). Communism in Kerala: A Study in Political Adaptation. University of California Press. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-520-04667-2.

Sources

  • Moore, Melinda. "Symbol and Meaning in Nayar Marriage Ritual." American Ethnologist. 15 (1998) 254–273
  • Gough, K. (1961) Nayar: Central Kearla, in Schneider, D. M. & Gough, K. (Eds.) Matrilineal Kinship. Berkeley & Los Angeles, p298-404
  • Karl, R. (2003) Women in Practice: A Comparative Analysis of Gender and Sexuality in India. 2003 Marleigh Grayer Ryan Student Prize ; Moore, M. (1998) Symbol and Meaning in Nayar Marriage Ritual, American Ethnologist 15:254-73
  • Damodar Dharmanand Kosambi (1975) An Introduction to the Study of Indian History.
  • Dirks, Nicholas. "Homo Hierarchies: Origins of an Idea." Castes of Mind. Princeton: Princeton University Press 2001.
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