Munda kinship pattern

[Richa Pauranik Clements]

On Sun, 5 Dec 1999, N. Ganesan wrote:

> NG: >Noted several references from puranas,etc., where South Indian
> NG: >marriage systems prevailed in North India in ancient times.
> NG: >The cross-cousin marriages in Krishna, Buddha, ... life stories.
>
> VA: >They did not 'prevail' but were an exception. [...]
>
> Dear Vishal,
>
> My thought is cross-cousin weddings were important in the North
> in ancient times - Otherwise, they would not have been noted
> in the hagiographies of important personages like Krishna and Buddha.

The one purana that I've researched is the Bhagavatapurana, and it is full
of references to cross-cousin marriages in Book X (in the Krishna
lineage).  BUT it has been established that the BhP was composed in the
South, and the readers today who refer to such puranas to forward claims
that such social practices as cross-cousin marriages "prevailed" in the
North should beware of the place of origin of their sources.

Again, one should be clear about the type of social group that found this
practice acceptable.  In case of Krishna and Buddha, both belonged to the
kshatriya caste.  Is Mr. Ganeshan saying that the practice prevailed in
the North across all social groups?

Even today, cross-cousine marriages among Hindus in North India are  not
considered normal or desirable or acceptable, and  exceptions are made
only due to circumstances surrounding such a marriage.

Yours,
Richa Pauranik
Department of Religious Studies
Indiana University