Polygyny in India
is outlawed in India, except for Muslims. While it was not prohibited in Ancient India and was common among aristocrats and emperors, it is believed that it was not a major cultural practice. The lack of prohibition was in part due to the separation between land laws and religion, and partially since all of the major religions of India portrayed polygamy in a neutral light.
File:Cecil Beaton Photographs- Political and Military Personalities IB698.jpg|thumb|200px|Gayatri Devi, the third wife of Sawai Man Singh II of Jaipur, pictured by Cecil Beaton in 1940
In contrast to Europe, polygamy prevailed in ancient India for rulers and kings. It was common for rulers. Some wealthy individuals had multiple wives.
The British colonial Empire of India permitted Islamic provinces to allow husbands to have multiple wives. When Maharaja Ranjit Singh was cremated in Lahore, four of his wives and seven concubines took to sati, and their urn-like memorials exist at his Samadhi.
Legal developments
Section 494 and 495 of the Indian Penal Code of 1860, prohibited polygamy for the Christians. In 1955, the Hindu Marriage Act was drafted, which prohibited marriage of a Hindu whose spouse was still living. Thus polygamy became illegal in India in 1956, uniformly for all of its citizens except for Muslims, who are permitted to have four wives and for Hindus in Goa and along the western coast where bigamy is legal.A polygamous Hindu marriage is null and void. While the punishment specified in Sections 494 and 495 is applicable, it is rare if the first spouse does not have an objection.
Muslim polygamy
Muslims in the rest of the country are subject to the terms of The Muslim Personal Law Application Act of 1937, interpreted by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board.However, in a judgment in February 2015, the Supreme court of India stated that "Polygamy was not an integral or fundamental part of the Muslim religion, and monogamy was a reform within the power of the State under Article 25".
Hindu polygamy in modern India
Legally the second wife of a Hindu would be a mistress, although religiously and socially she may be considered a wife.Polygamy among Hindus is sometimes accepted in some rural areas, often with approval by earlier wives. The 2005–06 National Family Health Survey found that 2 percent of women reported that their husband had other wives besides herself. Husbands of women with no children are more likely to have multiple wives.