A marriage biodata in Tamil Nadu carries the usual name, birth, education, job and family lines, and then the jathagam details a Tamil family checks first: natchathiram (star) with padam, rasi, lagnam, and whether there is sevvai dosham or raghu kethu dosham. Most also write the kuladeivam (family deity) and the sondha ooru (native place). The jathagam itself is usually sent along with it.
Families call it a jathagam biodata, a thirumana biodata or just "the profile". It is written in Tamil or English, and in Chennai and Coimbatore English is now very common.
Lines a Tamil Nadu Biodata Carries
| Line | What families write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Name with initial | Father's initial before the name | R. Karthikeyan |
| Natchathiram and padam | The birth star and its quarter | Uthiradam, padam 2 |
| Rasi and lagnam | Moon sign and ascendant | Magaram rasi, Kumba lagnam |
| Dosham | Sevvai dosham, raghu kethu dosham, or none | Sevvai dosham illai |
| Dasa irruppu | The dasa running at birth and the balance left | Suriya dasa, 3 years 4 months |
| Kuladeivam | Family deity and the temple village | Madurai Veeran, Sholavandan |
| Sondha ooru | Native place, even after decades in the city | Melur, Madurai district |
| Kothiram | Brahmin and some other families | Bharadwaja |
| Thai mama | Mother's brother, name and place | Some families add this |
The initial is a Tamil habit that confuses families from other states. "R. Karthikeyan" means Karthikeyan, son of a father whose name starts with R. Many Tamil people have no surname at all. Write the name the way it is on the SSLC certificate, and the father's full name in the family section. That is enough.
The Star Comes Before Everything
In most Tamil Hindu families the first question on the phone is "Enna natchathiram?" The two stars decide whether the jathagams are even opened.
Families match by the porutham system, 10 points checked between the boy's and girl's stars. Some stars are treated as hard for certain matches, and families with a sevvai dosham jathagam often look only for another dosham jathagam. So write the star with padam and the dosham line clearly, near the top of the horoscope section. Our page on jathagam porutham explains how the 10 points are checked.
Write the dosham exactly as your jothidar (astrologer) wrote it. If the jathagam says "sevvai dosham, parigaram undu" (there is a remedy), copy that. Do not decide it yourself.
The Jathagam Goes with the Biodata
Most Tamil families keep a jathagam written by hand by a jothidar, or a computer print with the rasi and navamsam charts. The biodata gives the summary. The jathagam gives the charts.
Many families send both on WhatsApp in one go: the biodata PDF first, then a clear photo of the jathagam pages. Take the photo in daylight, flat on a table. A blurred chart gets a call back asking for a new one. Our jathagam biodata format page lists every horoscope line in order.
Kuladeivam and Native Place
The kuladeivam tells an elder where the family's roots are. Two families from the same kuladeivam temple are often from the same set of villages, and that starts a long conversation. Write the deity and the village together. "Karuppasamy, Alagarkoil" says more than "Karuppasamy".
The sondha ooru line works the same way. A family living in Chennai for 40 years will still write "native: Kumbakonam". Give the town and the district.
Community Lines
Caste is usually written in full, with the sub-group if the family uses one: Kongu Vellalar Gounder, Saiva Pillai, Iyer (Vadama), Nadar, Mukkulathor. Families who look for a match within a sub-group will read this line closely.
Brahmin families add the kothiram and often the sutra or the Vedam. Iyengar families write Vadakalai or Thenkalai. Our Iyer biodata and Gounder biodata guides cover these lines in detail.
Christian families in Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi or Kanyakumari write the denomination and church (CSI, RC, Pentecostal) and skip the jathagam. Muslim families write the jamath and the family's town.
Tamil or English?
Families in Madurai, Tirunelveli, Thanjavur and most villages prefer Tamil. Elders read it faster. English is common when the boy or girl works in Chennai IT, Bengaluru or abroad, and when the other family is not Tamil.
If you pick Tamil in our maker, the labels print in Tamil. The sections print as சுய விவரம், ஜாதக விவரம், குடும்ப விவரம் and தொடர்புக்கு. Native Place prints as சொந்த ஊர், Gotra as கோத்திரம் and the Chevvai line as செவ்வாய் தோஷம். Our Tamil guide on the thirumana biodata format is written fully in Tamil.
The Usual Header Line
A Tamil biodata often starts with the Pillaiyar suzhi, the small "உ" mark that Tamil people write at the top of anything important. Under it comes a line such as பிள்ளையார் துணை, சிவமயம், முருகன் துணை or ஸ்ரீ வெங்கடேச பெருமாள் துணை. Families devoted to Murugan, which is common in the south, often pick முருகன் துணை.
Our maker has the Pillaiyar Suzhi as a symbol, and all four of those lines are in the Tamil list. Write My Own covers your kuladeivam's name.
How Biodatas Are Shared in Tamil Nadu
The thirumana thagaval maiyam (marriage information centre) is in almost every Tamil town. Parents register, leave a copy of the biodata and jathagam, and go through files of other profiles. Many community associations run their own.
Matrimony websites are widely used, and a lot of Tamil families also post in caste and community WhatsApp groups. Relatives still bring many proposals, especially through the thai mama and the athai.
Leave out the house number when the biodata goes to a group. The town and district are enough.
A Filled Sample
The details below are made up for this page.
| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| Full Name | R. Karthikeyan |
| Date of Birth | 21 December 1996 |
| Time of Birth | 6:15 am |
| Place of Birth | Madurai |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in |
| Caste / Community | Hindu, Saiva Pillai |
| Education | B.E. ECE, Thiagarajar College of Engineering |
| Job / Occupation | Senior engineer, an IT company, Chennai |
| Rasi | Dhanusu |
| Nakshatra | Pooradam, Pada 3 |
| Lagna | Dhanusu |
| Chevvai / Manglik | No |
| Dasa at Birth | Sukra dasa |
| Kuladeivam (own field) | Ayyanar, Thirumangalam |
| Father's Name | S. Rajendran, retired, TNEB |
| Mother's Name | R. Meenakshi, homemaker |
| Sisters | 1 elder (married, Coimbatore) |
| Native Place | Thirumangalam, Madurai district |
| Maternal Uncle | K. Shanmugam, Virudhunagar |
Making It in Our Maker
Pick Tamil or English. Rasi, nakshatra with pada, lagna and dasa at birth fill in from the date, time and place of birth, worked out with the Lahiri method. If your jathagam says something different, pick your jathagam's value. Add Kuladeivam or Raghu Kethu Dosham with Add Your Own Field.
Our maker prints the details as text and does not draw the rasi or navamsam chart. Send the jathagam photo along with the PDF. After the PDF, the next screen also gives an editable Word file of the same biodata, if a relative wants to change a line on the laptop. You can start in the maker.
Common questions
What Is the Marriage Biodata Format in Tamil Nadu?
Name with initial, birth date, time and place, height, caste, education and job, then star with padam, rasi, lagnam and dosham, kuladeivam, parents and siblings, native place and a contact number.
Why Is the Father's Initial Written Before the Name?
Most Tamil families use the father's initial in place of a surname. "R. Karthikeyan" shows the father's name starts with R.
Should I Write Sevvai Dosham on the Biodata?
Yes, if your family matches jathagams. Write it as your jothidar wrote it: "Sevvai dosham illai", "undu" or the exact remedy note.
Do I Need to Send the Jathagam with the Biodata?
Many Tamil families send both together. Send a clear photo or scan of the jathagam pages after the biodata PDF.
Is a Tamil Nadu Biodata Written in Tamil or English?
Both are common. Tamil suits families in towns and villages. English suits city jobs and families outside Tamil Nadu.
Related Guides
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