Mysuru Brahmins look to Varanasi brides to find suitable marriage allies

Brides from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh are being approached as suitable allies for Mysuru Brahmins They fear that inter-caste marriages may soon wipe out the purity of their lineage and that soon there will be a dearth of Pure Brahmins

Many eligible Brahmin bachelors in Mysuru are ageing without a wife as it is difficult to find one of their caste and choice. To solve this problem of grihastashrama, two Brahmin organisations have come together to find brides in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, for men in Karnataka. They call this initiative Ganga-Cauvery Sammilana.

The reason why Brahmins in Mysuru are looking northwards is that they fear that inter-caste marriages may soon wipe out the purity of their lineage and that soon there will be a dearth of Pure Brahmins in the state. Other reasons cited that Brahmin families with daughters of marriageable age have begun opting for grooms in Brahmin sub-sects while others are okay with marrying non-Brahmins. Women, have increasingly preferred to get married to men in the IT sector and traditional Brahman boys lose out in this bargain, say the community leaders.

In a press meet in November first week Prof Sundaresh of the Paraspara Vipra Sahaya Samiti announced that a interaction with the Vipra Association of Varanasi will take place on November 11. He said: “The population of the community has decreased drastically. People of rural areas are not getting suitable match for getting married.  This interaction programme, being organised by social worker and BJP leader H V Rajeev, will be helpful.”

According to local news reports over 500 families turned up at the event highlighting the effect of the shortage of suitable brides and grooms. Kamalaksha Upadhaya who headed the Varanasi association is quoted to have given the community’s acceptance of this arrangement for brides. He stated that brides from Varanasi were ready to wed men who were involved in traditional occupations and that there would be no expenses or dowry demands. He assured that with the presence of the NGOs and the community they would make sure there was no marital dispute either and that the alliances would be finalised based on the kundalis (horoscope matching).