| Aspect | Detail | Place/District |
| Engagement Practices | | |
| Initiative | Usually taken by the boy’s male relatives, unlike in the plains where the girl’s family typically initiates. | (General) |
| Financial Obligation | Boy’s father customarily pays ‘Vhcir’ (a nominal amount) to the girl’s father to help defray marriage expenses. | (General) |
| Ritual Gift | ‘Rika’ is exchanged once a match is settled. | (General) |
| Types of Betrothals | | |
| ‘Barni’ | Generally practiced by the upper classes. | (General) |
| ‘Sagai’ or ‘Sotha’ | Adopted by middle and lower-class communities. | (General) |
| ‘Sagun’, ‘Parullu Dana’, ‘Jannu’ | Names for ritual gift/betrothal. | Mandi (some areas) |
| ‘Batta-Satta’ | Marriage by exchange; a breach of promise invalidates the entire chain. | Agrarian people in the interior of the Pradesh |
| Marriage Ceremony | | |
| Date Setting | Set in consultation with a priest; in some areas, permission of local deities is sought. | (General) |
| Secrecy | All wedding preparations are customarily kept secret from the bride. | (General) |
| Betrothal Cancellation | Rare; if one party withdraws, they must compensate the other for all incurred expenses. | (General) |
| Prohibited Relationships | | |
| General Rule | Less rigid than in the plains, but certain relationships are strictly prohibited. | (General) |
| High-Caste Practice | Practice endogamy (within their own caste) but adhere to exogamy (not marrying within their ‘Gotra’). | (General) |
| Ascendancy Restrictions | Prohibited up to seven degrees through the father’s side and up to five degrees through the mother’s side. | (General) |
| Exogamous Units | ‘Gotra’ for Brahmans and Vaishyas; ‘Nukh’ for Rajputs; ‘Kur’ for lower castes. | (General) |
| Inter-Caste Marriages | | |
| General Acceptance | Not generally encouraged, but attitudes have softened with education and social contact. | (General) |
| Accepted Combinations | Marriage between a Brahman and a Rajput or Vaishya, or between a Rajput and a Vaishya, is somewhat accepted. | (General) |
| Not Approved | Marriage involving a ‘shudra’ by any of the three high castes (Brahmin, Rajput, or Vaishya) is not socially approved. | (General) |
| Formal Marriage Forms | | |
| ‘BIAH’ (Brahma marriage) | Regular marriage solemnized in accordance with the ‘Shastras’; no consideration received by the girl’s family; considered the superior form and widely practiced. | (General) |
| ‘Jhanjhrara’ and ‘Gaddar’ or ‘Paraina’ | Informal marriages, solemnized without ‘Saptpadi’ (seven steps around fire) or other formal religious ceremonies; popular among low-caste people. | (General) |
| Tribal/Peculiar Marriage Forms | | |
| Polyandry | Elder brother marries, and the woman becomes the common wife of all brothers (fraternal polyandry). | Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti, interior parts of Chamba |
| Polygamy | A man marries more than one woman. | Some areas (not common among majority) |
| ‘Jhindphook’ or ‘Jarar Phuki’ (bush burning) | Without parental approval; couple sets fire to a bush and walks around it seven times; regarded as ‘unlawful’. | Tribes of Kangra and Chamba |
| ‘Darosh Dab Dhab’ | Forcible abduction of a girl from a fair/festival; boy’s family apologizes and pays ‘Izzat’ (Rs. 10-100). | Kinnaur |
| ‘Mahalshish’ | Lovers elope; boy’s father sends ‘Mazomi’ (matchmaker) with gifts; sad tunes played; son-in-law presents ‘Masore’ (Rs. 500) to bride’s mother. | (General tribal/rural areas) |
| ‘Hari’ or ‘Har’ | Boy kidnaps a girl or girl elopes with fiancé; also applies when a woman leaves her husband for another man; considered illegal among higher castes; settled by payment. | Popular among ‘Gaddis’; Kinnaur region (‘Dubdub’, ‘Kuchis’, or ‘Khutu Kini’) |
| Gaddis’ Marriage Ceremony | Performed in two stages: ‘Joolh Pami’ (groom’s party visits minor girl, breaks jaggery, smears red color); real marriage 5-10 years later; no veil or dowry. | Gaddis (implied areas like Chamba, Kangra) |
| Pangi Marriages | Monogamous; groom’s younger brother presents silver rupee to bride’s mother, granting him right of a second husband (not shared by more than two brothers). | Pangi |
| Remarriage & Divorce | | |
| Love Marriages | Permissible (except in higher castes); becoming more common with education and social contacts. | (General) |
| Widow Remarriage | Permissible (except in higher castes); common among tribal communities. | (General) |
| ‘Reet Marriage’ | Allows an already married woman to leave her husband and marry another, provided the new husband pays compensation to the former. | (General) |
| Divorce (‘Dehri’, ‘Hari’ or ‘Har’) | Among some tribal communities; couple breaks a piece of wood, thread, or leaf in front of witnesses; wife returns all ornaments and clothes. | (General tribal communities); Kanets and some low caste tribes of certain areas of Himachal hills |
| Widow Remarriage Names | ‘Karewa’ in Shimla hills; ‘Jhanjhrara’, ‘Gudani’, or ‘Cholidorr’ in Kangra and Chamba regions. | Shimla hills, Kangra, Chamba |
| Social Status of Women | | |
| General Status | Generally enjoy an independent and high social status; regarded as the ‘better-half’ and command a place of honor. | (General) |
| Post-Independence Trends | Spread of literacy has led to a decrease in informal divorces and an increase in love marriages formalized through legal courts. | (General) |
