Medhavi Capoor, OP Jindal Global University
1. Introduction
“A Brahmana can take three wives. A Kshatriya can take two wives. As regards the Vaishya, he should take a wife from only his own order. The children born of these wives should be regarded as equal” these words were said by Bhishma to King Yudhishthira in the Hindu scripture “Mahabharata”. 1 The now-looked-down-upon practice of polygamous/ Bigamous marriages among Hindus was glorified back then in ancient scriptures and are idols in today's time.
Polygamy, the practice of having more than one spouse at the same time, has a long and complex history. This practice has been seen to be a significant factor affecting women who are a part of such marriages with respect to their social status, maintenance and denying them the basic right to equality. Throughout history, various groups and societies have practised it with differing degrees of regularity and acceptance.
