Parmangi System
Parmangi was a unique system for pre-approval of intended marriage partners prevalent among Shrotriya Brahmins.
Most of the Hindu population in the Mithila region follow the Mithila School of Hindu personal law, a set of laws governing the religious, personal, and cultural aspects of society. Hindu personal law varies from region to region. Under the Mithila school of Hindu personal law, a person can only marry someone who is seven generations removed from their father's side and five generations removed from their mother's side.
A system of keeping the genealogical trees was maintained by people known as Panjikaar. They maintained geneacological records of every Brahmin family in Mithila. Any Maithil Brahmin could approach the Panjikaars and get the list of eligible spouses for their children. The list authenticated that the prospective spouse was not within prohibited degrees of relationship.
During the days of the Raj, a Shrotriya Brahmin had to apply to the Maharaja of Darbhanga for approval of an intended marriage, giving details of the bride and groom along with a certificate from the Panjikaar stating that the bride and groom were not within the prohibited degrees of relationship. The priest would get the marriage formalized only after the Maharaja's approval was received. Records of every marriage were kept by Raj Darbhanga. This also served as a register of marriages amongst Shrotriya Brahmins. The Parmangi System became defunct after the death of Maharaja Kameshwar Singh Bahadur in 1962.
Read more about this topic: Raj Darbhanga
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