In some places a woman gets married twice, in many places fast food is banned.. Know some strange rules

The people living at this place during the Mahabharata period consider themselves descendants of the Pandavas. In some villages of Jaunsar and Bawar area of ​​Chakrata block, earlier a rule was made for women to wear only three gold ornaments during marriages. Now various types of fast food and snacks at weddings have also been completely banned. This means if you go to a wedding in Jaunsar area, you will not get fast food like Chow Mein, Momo, Tikki at all. Even if any family serves these, they will be fined Rs 1 lakh. These new rules are being implemented in Dau, Doha, Chutau, Bajau, Ghingo and Katri villages of Jaunsar, after which this area has become a topic of discussion not only in the state but throughout the country.

Jaunsar and Bawar, located in the Chakrata region of Uttarakhand, is a distinct tribal area, which has a distinct identity from other communities due to its unique social system, strong traditional justice system and beliefs related to the Mahabharata period. This inaccessible area, located between the Yamuna and Tons rivers, has preserved its cultural heritage for centuries, where along with modernity, ancient traditions are also alive.

The most popular and unique tradition of Jaunsar-Bawar used to be brother-polyandry marriage. In this, a woman is married to the eldest brother of the family and she automatically becomes the wife of his younger brothers also. Local people link this tradition to the marriage of the Pandavas and Draupadi of the Mahabharata, which confirms the region’s claim to the Pandava dynasty. Although this tradition has changed with time, some examples of this tradition are still found in some inaccessible areas.

The backbone of the socio-judicial system of this region is its Khumdi system which is the traditional Panchayats. Khumdi is an ancient and influential institution which binds the society together and settles disputes. This means that in case of family or any other matter, it is here that the Panchayats provide justice. Just as you might have heard about Sarpanch in some stories who used to be the head, similarly here the Khumdi or head of the village is called Sayana. His post used to be hereditary but today he is elected only with everyone’s consent through meetings. This system is very strong despite the presence of modern courts; people do not have to make rounds of the courts.

There is another special tradition related to marriage in this region which is called Jojora marriage. Usually, when a wedding takes place, the groom comes with a wedding procession, but in this tradition, the wedding procession does not go to the groom’s house, rather the bride goes with the wedding procession to the groom’s house. This custom not only reverses gender roles but also ends the practice of dowry. Jojora marriage is a symbol of simplicity, equality and avoidance of wasteful expenditure. In this, the bride takes only five traditional items (thali, pitcher, pot etc.).

Recently, many villages of Jaunsar-Bawar have taken a bold step towards social reform. He has imposed a strict ban on extravagance, DJ, fast food and expensive gifts in weddings and social functions. The aim of these new rules is to eliminate social pretense and the gap between the rich and the poor. Along with this, local traditional food (like Mandua and Jhangora) has to be promoted.

Recently, strict rules have been made regarding women’s jewelery here, under which they can wear only three traditional ornaments (phuli, jhumki and mangalsutra) in ceremonies. These rules have been made to reduce social pressure and economic burden, and a provision for imposing heavy fines by the Gram Panchayat for violating them has been ensured.