{"id":85227,"date":"2026-01-31T20:17:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T14:47:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=85227"},"modified":"2026-01-31T20:17:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T14:47:17","slug":"levirate-marriage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/levirate-marriage\/","title":{"rendered":"Levirate Marriage, Meaning, Features, DNA Profiles"},"content":{"rendered":"

Marriage is a socially and legally recognized union between two individuals that establishes rights, duties, and responsibilities between them, their families, and society.<\/span><\/p>\n

Levirate marriage is an ancient social custom practiced in several traditional societies across the world. It mainly aims to provide social security to a widow and ensure continuity of the family lineage. Though the practice has declined in modern times, it still exists in some rural and tribal communities.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is a Levirate Marriage?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Levirate marriage is a form of marriage in which a <\/span>widow marries the brother of her deceased husband<\/b>. The term levirate comes from the Latin word \u201clevir\u201d, meaning husband\u2019s brother.<\/span><\/p>\n

Features of Levirate Marriage<\/b><\/h3>\n
    \n
  • The widow marries her <\/span>late husband\u2019s brother<\/b>.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Children born from this marriage are traditionally considered part of the <\/span>deceased husband\u2019s lineage<\/b>.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • The practice ensures <\/span>economic and social protection<\/b> for the widow.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • It prevents fragmentation of <\/span>family property and inheritance<\/b>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    What Are DNA Profiles?<\/b><\/h2>\n

    A DNA profile, also known as DNA fingerprinting, is a scientific method used to identify individuals based on their unique genetic makeup. Except for <\/span>identical twins<\/b>, every person has a distinct DNA profile.<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    • DNA is extracted from blood, saliva, hair, or other body tissues.<\/span><\/li>\n
    • It is widely used in <\/span>forensic science, paternity testing, and criminal investigations<\/b>.<\/span><\/li>\n
    • DNA profiling helps establish <\/span>biological relationships<\/b> between individuals.<\/span><\/li>\n
    • In legal contexts, it plays an important role in <\/span>inheritance and identity disputes<\/b>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Levirate Marriages in India<\/b><\/h2>\n

      In India, levirate marriage is traditionally known as<\/span> \u201cNiyoga\u201d<\/b> in ancient texts and has been practiced among certain tribal and rural communities.<\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      • Vedic Age:<\/b> Levirate marriage existed as <\/span>Niyoga<\/i><\/b>, practiced to continue lineage and secure inheritance, with children considered heirs of the deceased husband.<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Later Vedic Period:<\/b> The practice began declining due to growing emphasis on monogamy, ritual purity, and ideals of female chastity.<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Gupta Age:<\/b> Levirate marriage was largely stopped in mainstream society as <\/span>Smriti<\/b> texts discouraged Niyoga and widow renunciation was promoted.<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Medieval Period:<\/b> The practice survived only among certain tribal and lower-caste communities, disappearing from orthodox Hindu society.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Modern India:<\/b> Levirate marriage is not legally recognized as a custom, occurs rarely and voluntarily in some rural or tribal areas, and is declining due to education and women\u2019s rights.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Levirate marriage is a custom where a widow marries her late husband\u2019s brother. Learn its features, history in India, and link with DNA profiles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":85198,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[786],"tags":[5065],"class_list":{"0":"post-85227","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-general-studies","8":"tag-levirate-marriage","9":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85227"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":85245,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85227\/revisions\/85245"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}