Marriage, Religion and Society: Pattern of Change in an Indian Village

Originally published in 1974, the conclusions of the book are based on intensive field-work during 1963-66 in a village in south-east Rajasthan, India. Although the marriages of 158 boys and 163 girls were studied, the relevance of the conclusions drawn extends far beyond the village and its region since it reveals the changing themes and values in Indian society at the time.

The perceptive analysis of rites and ceremonies of marriage further illuminates the central problem of the book – how...