Two brothers, one wife! THIS Indian state still practices polyandry, its name is…; its also prevalent in THESE countries

Polyandry, a tabooed practice which allows a woman to have two or more husbands at the same time, has been outlawed in almost every part of the world, including in India.

However, the practice is fairly prevalent among some remote tribes of India and other countries, with a recent incident sparking a social media storm when pictures of a unique wedding showing two brothers marrying the same woman in Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmaur district went viral.

The wedding triggered a heated debate among netizens with many expressing their “disgust” at the practice of two men sharing the same wife, especially when they are brothers. However, others pointed out the hypocrisy of polygamy still being a fairly common practice in many parts of the world, while polyandry (a woman having multiple husbands), is frowned upon.

Is polyandry still practiced in India?

While polyandry, akin to polygamy, has been outlawed in India, it is still practiced among certain ancient tribes and communities in at least five countries of the world, including India, and its neighboring China, Nepal and Tibet. However, its noteworthy to mention that the practice is not as common as polygamy, which is far more prevalent in many parts of the world, including in our country.

According to media reports, polyandry is still prevalent among some tribes in part of southern and northern India, such as the hills of the Jaunsar-Bawa region in the Garhwal division of Uttarakhand, some districts in Himachal Pradesh, the Toda tribe of Nilgiri, Najanad Vellala of Travancore and Nair caste in South India.

Which countries practice polyandry?

Similarly, polyandry is still practiced in some parts of China, Tibet and Nepal. Historians believe the practice is rooted in rural economy as families do not want their ancestral property divided among children from different fathers. In a 1988 survey conducted on 753 Tibetan families, by the Tibet University, it was revealed that about 13 percent families in the region practice polyandry.

Polyandry is also common among certain tribes of Nigeria, especially among the Irigwe people in the north, where women traditionally had multiple husbands, before the practice was outlawed in 1968.

In Kenya, a case of polyandry grabbed global headlines in 2013, as the practice is not explicitly deemed illegal under Kenyan law. Even to this day, the practice is quite common among the Maasai people of Kenya.

Several tribes in South America also practice polyandry, and it prevalent among the Bororo tribe. It is believed that around 70 percent of Amazonian cultures and Tupi-Kawahib tribes practice polyandry.