How Families in Maharashtra Write a Marriage Biodata

A marriage biodata in Maharashtra has the usual name, birth, education, job and family lines. On top of those, Marathi families look early for the devak, the kuldaivat (family deity) and the mul gaav (native village). From the patrika they want the rashi, the nakshatra with charan, and often gan and nadi. Most are written in Marathi, with English common in Pune and Mumbai.

Families call it a lagnacha biodata, or on the printed page, विवाह परिचय पत्र. This page is for parents in Maharashtra making one for a mulga or mulgi, whatever the community.

Lines a Maharashtra Biodata Carries

The core is the same as anywhere in India. What changes is a small group of lines that help the other family place you and check the patrika.

Not every family writes every line. A Buddhist family in Nagpur will usually skip the patrika lines altogether, and many Christian and Muslim families in Mumbai never use devak. Write what your family follows at home.

Devak and Kuldaivat, the Two Lines Read First

The devak matters because many Maharashtrian Hindu families avoid a match where both sides have the same devak, much as other communities avoid the same gotra. The short Wikipedia article on the devak gives the pipal tree as one example and notes this rule.

If you are not sure of your devak, ask the oldest person in the family or someone from the mul gaav. City-born children often have never heard it. The village usually knows.

The kuldaivat tells the other side which temple your family goes to for every big event. Write the deity and the place together. "Ekvira Aai, Karla" says more than "Ekvira".

Patrika Details Families Expect

Most Hindu families in Maharashtra match the patrika (horoscope) before the first meeting. So the biodata carries more than rashi and nakshatra.

Give the exact time and place of birth even if you list gan and nadi. The other side's guruji will want to work it out himself.

Gotra is used by Brahmin families and by some others. Many Maratha and Kunbi families rely on the devak instead. For community detail, see our guides to the Maratha biodata, the Maharashtrian Brahmin biodata and the Kunbi biodata.

Marathi or English?

Marathi is the default for families in Kolhapur, Satara, Nashik, Latur and most of rural Maharashtra. Elders read it faster, and words like देवक and कुलदैवत look odd in English.

English makes sense when the boy or girl works in Bengaluru or abroad, or when the other family is not Marathi. Some families make both and send whichever fits.

On a Marathi biodata from our maker, the standard labels print in Marathi. Full Name prints as नाव, Native Place as मूळ गाव, Caste / Community as जात / समाज, and the Manglik line as मंगळ. The sections print as वैयक्तिक माहिती, पत्रिका माहिती, कौटुंबिक माहिती and संपर्क. You can type the details in English letters or in Marathi.

The Usual Header Line

Most Hindu Marathi biodatas open with a short line at the top centre. The common ones are:

• ॥ श्री गणेशाय नमः ॥
• ॥ श्री ॥
• ॥ श्री कुलस्वामिनी प्रसन्न ॥
• ॥ श्री स्वामी समर्थ ॥

The title under it is usually लग्नाचा बायोडाटा or विवाह परिचय पत्र. Buddhist families often write नमो बुद्धाय, जय भीम. All of these are in our Marathi blessing list, and "Write My Own" covers anything else, such as your kuldaivat's name.

How Biodatas Are Shared in Maharashtra

The vadhu-var suchak mandal (marriage bureau) is still common in Maharashtra towns, often run by a samaj or a retired couple. Families hand over a printed copy and a photo, and the mandal keeps it in a file.

Samaj melavas, where families of one community meet in a hall and exchange biodatas, happen in many districts, mostly in the winter wedding season.

WhatsApp now carries most of it. A biodata sent to one mama in Pune can reach 30 phones by the evening. Keep the PDF to one page, and leave out the full house address. Our guide on sending a biodata on WhatsApp has the message to send with it.

A Filled Sample

The details below are made up for this page.

For a Maratha son the lines are the same, with devak added and gotra often left out.

Making It in Our Maker

Choose Marathi as the biodata language. Rashi, nakshatra with charan and lagna fill in from the birth details, and Gotra and Maternal Uncle are under Add More Details. Add Devak, Kuldaivat, Gan and Nadi with Add Your Own Field, typing the field name in Marathi if you like. The Hindu marriage biodata page shows designs with Ganesha and Om at the top.

Our maker prints the details as text. It does not draw a patrika chart, so if the other family asks for the chart, send a photo of your kundli separately.

For what happens after the match is fixed, read our page on Marathi wedding rituals.