A marriage is one of the important social institutions of human society, which is present in one form or the other in a cross-cultural perspective. It is one of the approved legitimate unions between a male and a female, which has got social sanction. Innumerable cultural traits are indispensablely found adhered to the marriage system. In every society, there are different ways of selecting mates and in relation to that lots of customs are observed by human beings, which indicates the pristine belief system associated with the process. It has also got an integral relationship with religion, particularly with rites and rituals, with observances of which the newly married couple take blessings from the supernatural for their happy and conjugal life. The Deoris of Assam, India, also have a conspicuous marrige system, which reflects the parochial nature of the solemnisation of the same. In this paper, an attempt has been made to examine the system of marriage, integral pristine customs, as well as religious rites and rituals observed in relation to the aforesaid event, among the Tengapania Deoris of Assam.
Nuptial situation, Types of marriages, Tribal community, Assam
