Chandragupta Maurya and His Times c14.95

c14.95

*Marriage.* According to Megasthenes, Indians were known to be polygamous. He refers to brides being purchased for a yoke of oxen. This must be understood to refer to the *Ārsha* form of marriage prescribed by Manu, in which the bride's father was entitled to receive a pair of oxen or cows (*go-mithuna*) as a customary charge (*dharmataḥ*) [Manu III, 29]. According to Nearchus, among certain Indian peoples, girls were secured as prizes of victory in physical feats. Perhaps it was the *Svayaṁvara* Institution.