These images were taken in village called Mungaad in the Chakrata district of Uttarakhand.
According to the folklore in the region, the Pandavas spent their 'Van Vaas' in these forests. A direct result of this is the tradition of Polyandry where one woman has more than one husband at a time, usually all the brothers in the family. Uttarakhand is one of the few places in India where this is practiced.
Polygamy may be practised for a lot of reasons; one of them being "families in areas of scarce farmable land to hold agricultural estates together. The marriage of all brothers in a family to the same wife allows plots of family-owned land to remain intact and undivided."
 |
| Just 24 years of age, Rajo is married to 5 brothers of the family, much like Draupadi in Mahabharata who is married to the Pandava Brothers. |
 |
| The kids are raised collectively by the family and there is no pressure to know their children's paternal lineage . |
 |
| Rajo was 25 when this photograph was made. |
 |
| Add caption |
--
Help me continue bringing you untold stories through photos and films. Become my Patron. Follow the link: https://www.patreon.com/prashansa
