Hindu marriage has traditionally been viewed

as the “gift of a maiden” (kanyadan) from the

bride’s father to the household of the groom.
This gift is also accompanied by a dowry, which
generally consists of items suitable to start a
young couple in married life. In some cases,
however, dowries demanded by grooms and
their families have become quite extravagant,
and some families appear to regard them as
means of enrichment. There are instances, a few
of which have been highly publicized, wherein
young brides have been treated abusively—even
tortured and murdered—in an effort to extract
more wealth from the bride’s father. The “dowry
deaths” of such young women have contributed
to a reaction against the dowry in some modern
urban families.
A Muslim marriage is considered to be a
contractual relationship—contracted by the
bride’s father or guardian—and, though there
are often dowries, there is formal reciprocity, in
which the groom promises a mahr, a
commitment to provide his bride with wealth in
her lifetime.