The Progression Of Marriage Within South Asia - 1726 Words

Marriage â€Å"the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law† (Merriam-Webster). In my research I will be discussing the progression of marriage in south Asia. South Asia is a well-known region for countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka etc. The birthplace of both Hinduism and Buddhism originated in south Asia and it’s the world s third and fourth largest religions. In the 7th century A.D Islam arrived with the Arab conquest. â€Å"The Gate of Islam,† is what the Arab Empire called Pakistan and till this day and age the country still remains predominantly an Islamic nation. South Asia has a very wide distinct ethnic group, these†¦show more content†¦However, this altered during the Middle Age, as states and the government developed, the Indian governmental system expanded and transformed the Indian society slowly. Indian people now had t o center their lives on family discipline and integrity of their clan. Young females were considered to be immature and foolish when it came to falling in love, therefore parents get them married off early because they were afraid that their daughters might get themselves caught in any scandal. Primarily in the Indian subcontinent a female’s behavior is viewed as a reflection of her family’s integrity. Young female brides became common towards the medieval period. So in the Indian society, it was normal for females as young as six or eight to be married. The main concern of negotiating the marriage of people in the Indian society is mainly to find out where or not the two families were compatible with each other. In other words you are not just marrying the person, you are marrying his or her entire family. During those times, this society believed that if two individuals knew each other right from childhood, then most likely there would be an understanding and friendl iness amongst them. Generally, parents would decide the marriages of their offspring at a very early age, but usually the daughter would stay with her parents until she hits puberty. Sati was another common practice amongst the Hindu community which occurred before India was colonized by the British. What is sati? Well