Swayamvar
An old Hindu custom in which a woman chose her own husband from a gathering of suitors.
Also: swayambar, svayamvara, swayamvara
Swayamvar means self-choice. In the epics, princesses such as Sita and Draupadi chose a husband from assembled suitors, sometimes by garlanding the winner of a contest of skill, as Draupadi did after the archery test. The practice belongs mainly to the epic and royal tradition, and in Nepal the term is still used for some matchmaking events and television shows. The spelling is swayamvar in India and swayambar in Nepal and Bengal. It is a good example of a bride's choice written into the oldest stories of the subcontinent.
Region: South Asia