Polyandry, Alienation, Religion and Land: Many Shades of Kinnaur

Tripoto

It was the wedding night of Ram Kumar Negi and Jyothi. Ram’s green Kinnauri topi was hanging beside the closed wooden dwarang (door) of their humble two storied hut in the village of Rakchham in Kinnaur. Their beautiful wooden hut was today neatly decorated with Bijli lamps. It was also the wedding day of Ram’s two younger brothers Shyam Kumar and Mohan Kumar. But surprisingly none of them would be having the opportunity to enjoy the bliss of their first conjugal night. Earlier in the late evening after the Biyoshimig ceremony (when the bride adieus good bye to her parents and relatives), they had to remain satisfied by wishing their newly wed wife (Naar) Jyothi with the gifts (Rinchot) they had purchased for her and their in-laws (Bitho Pono) way back from Shimla during their visit to the state capital last month. Today the three brothers had married Jyothi according to the traditional Kinnauri custom. The colourful marriage ceremony (Belding Sarmu) had drawn every villager and their relatives from nearby villages to join the grand celebration dance and feast held at the village compound…….

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https://mytravelnama.com/2016/07/23/polyandry-alienation-religion-and-land-many-shades-of-kinnaur/

Photo of Kalpa, Reckong Peo, Himachal Pradesh, India by mytravelnama