Brideprice

The money the groom’s family gives to
the bride’s family as a condition for marriage. This exchange of money for the
bride is the defining feature of the asura
marriage, one of eight recognized forms
of marriage in the Dharma Shastras, the
treatises on religious duty (dharma).
This form of marriage is considered
aprashasta (“reprehensible”) because of
the implication of selling one’s children.
Even though it does take place in modern India, communities practicing this
form have very low social status. In
modern times, giving brideprice is an
admission that the bride’s family
deserves compensation for the loss of a
wage earner, implying that her labor is
necessary for the family. In contrast, the
higher-status type of marriage, the
Brahma marriage, transfers both the
bride and wealth (in the form of a
dowry) to the groom’s family with the
understanding that both families have
enough money that her paid labor
is unnecessary.