The Position of Women in Hindu Civilisation, from Prehistoric Times to the Present Day c7.s4.15

c7.s4.15

It is difficult to say how many marriages were preceded by courtship as above described during the time when post-puberty marriages prevailed. The percentage of such love marriages, however, was probably not very high. They seem to have been confined to Kshatriya and well-to-do classes. In the vast majority of cases, even when parties were quite grown up, their marriages were usually arranged by parents, of course with due regard to their desires expressed or implied. Such, for instance, is usually seen to be the case in Jātaka stories. The father, and more particularly the mother, were anxious to find out whether their choice met with the approval of their daughters or not. In many stories of the *Kathāsaritsāgara*, parents are seen anxiously enquiring which of the bridegrooms tentatively selected by them met with their daughters’ approval².