Marriage Songs: A Study of Dowry Practices and Child Marriage of Bauri Community of Bankura District

Marriage is a most significant Sanskaras for both men and women. Because men and woman are started living together by the marriage for rest of the life. So, marriage ceremony is celebrated as the entrance of Sansar or Grihastha ashram (householder’s life). The Bauri community celebrates this transformative stage of life with great joy and festivity, involving music, dance, traditional instruments, food, and merrymaking, making it a cherished and memorable event. The Bauris have no any Brahmin priest in their marriage ceremony. The Bauri women are playing a prominent role to conduct their marriage rituals step by step along with singing the marriage songs. The wedding songs of the Bauris reflect not only their love for music but also various customs of the Bauri society, such as the long-standing dowry system and the practice of marrying off young girls.