Polygamy

Given the overwhelmingly patriarchal
character of Hindu society, polygamy
has probably existed since very early
times. The practice is attested in both
the great epics, the Ramayana and the
Mahabharata, as well as in the historical record. The dharma literature
permits men to marry wives of lower
social status, under the condition that
their first wife was of equal status.
Despite the existence of polygamy,
it was probably unusual and restricted
to men of high status and financial
resources, who would be able to support
several families. For “regular” men,
one of the few reasons for taking a second wife was when the first wife was
unable to bear children, in an attempt to
sire the sons needed to preserve the
lineage and ensure performance of the
ancestral rites.