Svayamvara
Sign in to savethumb|The Svayaṃvara ceremony of princess Damayantī, by [[Nandalal Bose]] Svayaṃvara ( ) is a matrimonial tradition in ancient Indian society where a bride, usually from Kṣatriya (warrior) caste, selects her husband from a group of assembled suitors either by her own choice or a public contest between her suitors. This practice is mainly featured in the two major Sanskrit epics, the Mahābhārata and the Rāmāyaṇa, though its prevalence and portrayal vary significantly between them.
Article
26 sectionsContents
- Name
- Origins and development
- Types
- Structure and Symbolism
- ''Svayaṃvara'' in the ''Ṛg Veda''
- The Marriage of Sūryā
- Other instances
- ''Svayaṃvara'' in the ''Mahābhārata''
- Draupadī’s ''Svayaṃvara''
- Damayantī’s ''Svayaṃvara''
- ''Svayaṃvara'' of princesses of Kāśī
- Other instances
- Savitrī's marriage
- In ''Harivaṃśa''
- Svayaṃvara in the ''Rāmāyaṇa''
- Sītā’s Svayaṃvara
- Other instances
- Svayaṃvara in ''Dharmaśāstra'' and other ''Smṛti'' literature
- In historical records
- Similar practices
- Kitayun
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Bibliography
- Further reading
thumb|The Svayaṃvara ceremony of princess Damayantī, by [[Nandalal Bose]] Svayaṃvara ( ) is a matrimonial tradition in ancient Indian society where a bride, usually from Kṣatriya (warrior) caste, selects her husband from a group of assembled suitors either by her own choice or a public contest between her suitors. This practice is mainly featured in the two major Sanskrit epics, the Mahābhārata and the Rāmāyaṇa, though its prevalence and portrayal vary significantly between them.
Origins of Svayaṃvara can be traced back to the Vedic period and few scholars suggest that it emerged from the Gāndharva marriage tradition, diverging from more ritualistic and arranged forms of marriage, and developed as a narrative device within the epics to highlight the heroism and valor of protagonists, aligning with the Kṣatriya ethos of competition and martial prowess. Despite being closely associated with the epics, Svayaṃvara is not listed as a form of marriage in the Dharmaśāstra, a collection of Sanskrit texts on law and conduct. Due to this, Svayaṃvara is sometimes regarded as the ninth form of Hindu marriage.