Sambandam
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The Sambandham literally means “alliance or relationship” and was the erstwhile customary institution that framed casual marriage alliance between men and women following marumakkatayam and aliyasantana (martriliny) in Kerala and south Canara , India. This ritual marks the union of the bride and groom and was not necessarily a permanent arrangement (ref. A, C, D, E). Sambandham denoted hypergamy between matrilineal women and Nambudiri men as well as reciprocal marriage among matrilineal castes (ref. F).
Also known as Pudavamuri or Pudavakoda, Sambandham was mostly practiced by non-brahmin matrilineal Hindus of Kerala and Tulu speaking South Canara, including Kshatriyas, Samanthans, Ambalavasis,Nairs, Maarans, Koravas and Bunts.
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[edit] Ceremony
On a suitable date fixed by the astrologer, the groom and his friends (it was not common practice in the old days for family members of the groom to participate in the ceremony) would arrive at the house of the bride. They would be entertained in the southern hall of the house which would be specially decorated for the ceremony. Two big brass oil lamps and paras of paddy would be kept in the centre of the room, with a bunch of coconuts in front of the lamp. The groom would be seated before the lamp. At the auspicious hour, and the bride would be brought in by an elderly lady before the groom. With the permission of the elders of the bride, the bridegroom would present the bride a wedding shawl or pudava . Once the bride recieves the cloth she presents the bride groom with "thamboola" (betel leaves and arecanut). Following this a feast would be given in the house and the ceremony would be concluded.
[edit] Status of Sambandham
Sambandham as an alliance was not recognized as constituting marriage by Namboodiri brahmins as well as by colonial courts but was seen as comparable to concubinage (ref. E). Two reasons cited for this were that dissolution of sambandham was fairly easy and that it did not give rise to property relations. Though viewed by Namboodiri Brahmins and European commentators as immoral, or a form of polyandry, or even prostitution, Sambandham was nothing of that sort for the women of matrilineal castes which consisted of Royal Families and other powerful castes. Sambandham essentially gave her the liberty to initiate, consent to, or terminate a sexual relationship with any man and it was this very inherent weakness of sambandham that helped maintaining the integrity of the matrilineal unit.
[edit] Changes in Sambandham in Kerala
In case of sambandham with Namboodiri men , the system suited both the Namboodiri Brahmins as well as matrilineal castes like the Nairs for two reasons. First, Namboodiri brahmins had institutionalized primogeniture, permitting only the eldest son to marry within the caste. Younger sons (also called apfans) in Namboodiri families were expected to establish sambandham with Nair and Ambalavasi (temple service castes) women. Second, Nair families too encouraged the sambandham arrangement with Namboodiri men, thereby increasing their Tharavadu and caste status (ref. G) .
The Malabar Marriage Act, 1896 (Act IV of 1896) succeded to alter by statute the personal law of the `Hindu' matrilineal castes of Malabar and South Canara districts of the erstwhile Madras Presidency. It was a permissive legislation that made it possible for people following marumakkatayam and aliyasantana law (matrilineal law) to register their marriages, if they so wished. The Act enabled people to be legally married, something that was not possible under matrilineal law as interpreted in the colonial civil courts. Similar legislations in the southern parts followed much later as is evidenced by Travancore Nair Act of 1912, 1925 and the Cochin Nair Act of 1920.
As Namboodiris established Sambandham with Kshatriya (Kovilakams, royal families), Nair, and Ambalavasi girls, the children from such marriage alliances belonged to the matrilineal (Marumakkathayam) lineage of their mothers. This, interestingly, led to situations like a Nair son of a Namboodiri could not eat or bathe with his father, or a Namboodiri could not eat food prepared by his Nair wife. Also Namboodiri Spinsters remained abandoned in the community. Namboodiri Yogakshema Mahaasabha, a revolutionary group of Namboodiris and founded in 1908, took a decision in 1919 and agitated for marriage of all Namboodiris within the community. Sabha declared the marriages of younger brothers from within the community as official, irrespective of whether the elder brothers were married or not. This revolutionary meeting was held in "Bharatheebhooshanam" at Thrissur on 25th Medam 1094 (1919 A.D.). The aim was embodied in the Madras Namboothiri Act of 1933. In the same year, the Madras Marumakkathaayam Act was passed, by which Sambandham was considered as a regular marriage, conferring on the children the same rights of inheritance and property as held by children whose parents were both Namboodiris. The declaration and these Acts led to a sudden decline in the number of Sambandham marriages, and this unethical practice ended shortly (in about ten years). Following these acts, Namboodiri land was increasingly partitioned and property dispersed.
The stoppage of Sambandham led to a liberation of Namboodiri wives and girls. They were the major sufferers due to unavailability of Namboodiri boys for marriage because of the practices of polygamy and parallel Sambandhams by elder sons.
[edit] Sources
A. Moore, Melinda. “Symbol and Meaning in Nayar Marriage Ritual.” American Ethnologist. 15 (1998) 254-273
B. Gough, K. (1961) Nayar: Central Kearla, in Schneider, D. M. & Gough, K. (Eds.) Matrilineal Kinship. Berkeley & Los Angelos, p298-404
C. Karl, R. (2003) Women in Practice: A Comparative Analysis of Gender and Sexuality in India. 2003 Marleigh Grayer Ryan Student Prize [1]; Moore, M. (1998) Symbol and Meaning in Nayar Marriage Ritual, American Ethnologist 15:254-73
D. Jamanadas, K. (nd) Use Of Sex By Brahmins To Gain Supremacy. Online article, as accessed Oct. 15, 2004 [2]
E. Report of the Malabar Marriage Commission (henceforth RMMC) I (Madras: Lawrence Asylum Press, 1891), p. 98. Appendix A, Home Judicial Proceedings (May 1896), no. 245±55, Part B. National Archives of India (henceforth NAI)
F. PRAVEENA KODOTH , Courting Legitimacy or Delegitimizing Custom? Sexuality, Sambandham, and Marriage Reform in Late Nineteenth-CenturyMalabar, Modern Asian Studies 35, 2 (2001), pp. 349±384. Ó 2001 Cambridge University Press Printed in the United Kingdom
G. Dirks, Nicholas. “Homo Hierarchies: Origins of an Idea.” Castes of Mind. Princeton: Princeton University Press 2001.
