No Brides Available, 200 Bachelors to Join Procession Seeking Wives
Due to the lack of brides for marriage, 200 bachelors are set to take part in a procession, walking 105 kilometers on foot to a hilltop temple, where they will pray to the gods for a bride.
This may sound surprising, but it’s absolutely true. Despite being of marriageable age, these young men are struggling to find brides. Wherever they seek matches, they are told that only urban grooms are preferred.
In response to this situation, these youths are adopting a unique approach. This event is taking place in Mandya district of Karnataka, where, on the 23rd of this month, these bachelors will take out a procession and reach a Shiva temple atop MM Hills to perform rituals and prayers seeking brides.
A 33-year-old youth named DP Mallesha said that while all his female friends have settled into family life, he is still searching for a bride. Despite being educated and working independently in agriculture, he is rejected because he is not from the city. He shared his frustration over the preference for urban grooms, even when rural men are self-reliant and capable.
A survey has revealed that in Mandya district, the number of women is lower than men. Most young men here are engaged in farming and are self-sufficient. However, due to the gender imbalance, and a growing preference among families for employed, urban grooms, these rural youths are facing increasing difficulties in finding life partners.
The bachelors, unable to find brides and emotionally burdened by this issue, have been forced to adopt this unusual method of participating in a procession and spiritual ritual as a form of emotional relief and a hopeful plea to the divine.
