The Position of Women in Hindu Civilisation, from Prehistoric Times to the Present Day c7.s6.13

c7.s6.13

When girls were married at the age of 9 or 10, the consummation of the marriage naturally took place some years afterwards. A separate Saṁskāra called Garbhādhāna came to be prescribed for the occasion. It was performed on the attainment of puberty by the bride. From Alberuni we learn that this Saṁskāra had become common in the 11th century A. D. (II, p. 156). The reader will find its description in a medieval digest like the *Smṛitichandrikā*.