300 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [Sept., 1914, 



of Muhammadans both males and females marry later than the 

 followers of other religions. No Jew male under 15, and only 

 31 females between 10 and 15 in a thousand of each in that 

 age period are married. 1 In this respect the various castes 

 present marked differences. Of a thousand girls of the ages 

 between five and twelve, 120 are married among Kudumichet- 

 ties, 85 among Tamul Brahmans, 52 among Konkani Brah- 

 mans and 32 among foreign Kshatriyas — all non-indigenous 

 castes. The proportion is much smaller among the Izhuvans. 

 Valans and Kadupattans who have only three girls in a thou- 

 sand of that age period, while the Nayars, Pulayans, and 

 Valans have only four each. Considerably over a hundred 

 males in a thousand between twelve and twenty are married 

 among Devangas, Tamul Brahmans, Kudumichetties and Kusa- 

 vans ; while considerably less than thirty of the same age period 

 are married among the Nayars, Malayali Kshatriyas, Izhuvans 

 and Ambalavasis. Early marriage of males obtains compara- 

 tively to a large extent in some of the lower castes, the propor- 

 tion of married men between twelve and twenty in a thousand 

 being as high as 508 among Arayans, 186 among Valans and 

 151 among Parayans. 



Origin of the Infant Marriage. — The vedic mantrams recited 

 at the various stages of the wedding ceremonv, other portions 

 of the yedic texts *— early Grihya and Dharma Sutras of Sankha- 

 yana Aswalayana, Jaimini, Bauddhayana, and others, 8 as also 

 the Smrithis of Manu, Narada and Puranas,* bear unmistak- 

 able evidence to the fact that Brahman girls were married 

 after puberty durinor the vedic ase. Instances are found of 

 young women who enjoyed the right to exercise the choice of 

 husbands for themselves. Marriage then was as optional with 

 the female as with the male sex, and there are instances of 

 young women who remained with their parents unmarried, 

 either rendering filial service or doing penance and speculating 

 on the absolute. 5 But towards the end of what Mr. Dutt calls 

 the Epic age, the practice of marrying girls before puberty began 

 to make its appearance. Gobilla, Vasishta, Gautma and others 

 advocated the marriage of girls either before puberty or with- 

 in the first three years thereafter, which was subsequently 

 modified into three ritus 6 ; if left unmarried beyond that time 



1 Census of India. 191 1 , vol. xviii, part 1, pages 40-42. 



* Marriage after Puberty, by V. S. Srinivasa Sastri, pages 24-27. 

 8 Ibid., pages 28-37. 



* Ibid., pages 36-37, 72, 70-74. 



* damage after Puberty, by V. S. Srinivaa Sastri, pages 24-25. 

 Kitus. (a) Vedavyasa, ch. ii, verse 7. If owing to neglect of her 



guardian, a maiden attains puberty, he incurs the sin of embryo murder at 

 eacn ntu and becomes a patita (fallen from puberty). (6) Yaraa, ch. in, 

 verses 18-82. If a girl remaining unmarried in her father's house attains 



lo^fi! v 7, c o n ™ rs the sin of embryo murder, she is a surda. (c) Vide 

 fcamnitas of Sankara. chap. 15. Angir as verses 126-128. 



