Marriage and Kinship Patterns among Hindus in Kishtwar District

Marriage and Kinship are the basic facts of life of any individual. Marriage is a relation of one or more men to one or more women which is accepted by custom of law and includes certain rights and includes certain traditions and obligations. Marriage is one of the all inclusive social institutions. Marriage is a foundation of society which can have distinctive implications in various societies. Its motivations, capacities and structures may contrast from society to society, however is available everywhere as an establishment. Its functions and forms may vary in different social settings, but is present everywhere as an institution. The paper has endeavoured to examine and comprehend the practice of cross-cousin marriages among the Hindus in Kishtwar district. The study was undertaken to look at the structure of family and kinship relationship and institution of marriage in the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir. The study has specifically looked into the practice of cross-cousin marriages among the community and has tried to explore the various kinship ties prevalent among them. Further attempts have been made to explore the continuity and the changes in the practice of cross-cousin marriages in the Kishtwar district. The study was undertaken with the objectives to look into the kinship and marriage structure among the Hindu community in Kishtwar. The study also attempts to explore the various forms of cross-cousin marriages among the Hindu community in Kishtwar district and to understand the changes occurring among Hindu community in terms of cross-cousin marriages in Kishtwar.