Mangala Dosha


Mangala Dosha, also known as Mangal Dosh because of schwa deletion, is a Hindu superstition prevalent in India. A person born under the influence of Mars as per Hindu astrology is said to have "mangala dosha" ; such a person is called a Mangalik. According to the superstition, the marriage between a Manglik and a non-Manglik is disastrous.
People who believe in this superstition think that a Mangalik bride will cause her husband's early death. To prevent this disaster, the bride may be married to a tree, an animal, or an inanimate object. This mock marriage custom has different names depending on the "groom" used in the ceremony; for example, if the bride is married to a clay pot, the ceremony is called "kumbh-vivah". It is believed that all the evil effects resulting from the Mangala Dosha befall on the mock "groom": the bride is thus freed from the consequences of being a Mangalik, and her subsequent marriage to a human is expected to be a happy one.