The Position of Women in Hindu Civilisation, from Prehistoric Times to the Present Day c7.s4.3

c7.s4.3

The Svayaṁvara marriages of Sāvitrī, Damayantī and Rukmiṇī are well-known¹. In later times when the custom of early marriages came into vogue, the Svayaṁvara custom naturally died down. Girls of 8 or 9 could hardly be expected to make any intelligent choice. We find that *Agnipurāṇā* tolerates the custom², but *Brahmapurāṇā* definitely disapproves of it³. Post-puberty marriages were in vogue in Kshatriya circles down to the middle ages, and hence Svayaṁvara custom survived there till the 12th century A. D. Hence it is referred to in Samskrit poems and dramas, which mostly deal with the life in royal and aristocratic families.