Matrimony websites allow families and friends to search for appropriate brides and grooms across India, rather than confining their search to a close circle through traditional match-makers, religious figures like priests and pundits.
Founded in 1997, Bharat Matrimony is by far India’s largest and best matrimonial site. It offers free posting of profiles as well as premium services and assisted matchmaking. Bharat Matrimony features on Limca Book of Records for the ‘Most number of marriages documented online.’
The firm now operates through mobile apps and has a network of 140 centers across India.
Jeevansathi was founded in 2004 and is now a company listed on Bombay Stock Exchange. The website offers a free listing of profiles. However, you have to pay to access expressions of interest for the profile. Additionally, the website now offers a chat feature allows prospective spouses or their relatives to learn about one-another. Jeevansathi has some 60 outlets across India and has 14 matchmaking points at various key locations. It is estimated to have over 10 million registered profiles.
Shaadi.com ranks as another Topmost Matrimonial Websites in India. “The company pioneered online matrimonial services in 1996 and continues to lead the exciting matrimony category after more than a decade. By redefining the way Indian brides and grooms meet for marriage, Shaadi.com has created a world-renowned service that has touched over 35 million people,” states the website.
Vivaah.com allows you to post or view profiles according to specific preferences such as state, native language, caste, and religion.
“Over the recent years, the Internet has redefined how prospective Indian brides and grooms find their soul mates. We do not agree with matrimony sites who charge thousands of rupees for search services. Our philosophy is – “Search for the life partner should not come with a price tag”. We are growing fast and are already among top free sites,’ states its website.
life partner is an upcoming matrimonial website for Indians. And it is a free matrimony. It allows people to search for suitable partners based on various parameters such as ethnicity or state, caste, religion, and re-marriage. While registering and listing a profile on LifePartner is free, the company charges a fee for accessing any communication you may receive from interested parties for matrimony and making online proposals. The facility is offered under ‘Premium’ plans available for three, six and 12 month and payments can be made online.
Elite Matrimony is a division of Bharat Matrimony. The website claims it caters to the ‘elite’ or affluent segment of the Indian and Non-Resident Indian communities. Specific details on how the company defines ‘elite’ are however conspicuously missing from the website.
RoseBrides is not a matrimonial website many Indian would look at. However, it is a globally reputed website that allows Indian women and men to find partners in some 155 countries around the world. The website lists men and women from different nationalities and of various ethnicities, religions, and ages, among other criteria. RoseBrides operates very professionally and follows internationally accepted standards of privacy. It is a paid service. You are billed in American Dollars for membership that can be paid by debit or credit card in your local currency.
It is an excellent website for those looking for foreign spouses. The company claims to offer ‘mail order’ brides. The system is banned worldwide. However the term ‘mail order brides’ continues to be commonly used by foreign matrimonial websites to refer to matchmaking by correspondence.
The Second Marriage is a website aimed at helping widows and widowers as well as divorcees from finding suitable partners for remarriage. The website charges nearly Rs.4,000 for a quarterly ‘Premium Gold’ membership for three months, Rs.5,500 for ‘Premium Platinum’ membership for six months and Rs.10,000 for the annual ‘Premium VIP’ membership. Registering a profile on The Second Marriage is free but to access correspondence or expressions of interest and proposals, you need at least a Premium Gold membership.
Sign-up on Lovevivah.com only if you are willing to part with your sensitive information such as Aadhar Card details, Permanent Account Number (PAN), passport, voter-ID card and other official identification documents.
Love Vivah claims it takes these details to ensure the genuineness of members who enroll to search for brides and grooms. It claims to be India’s first and only matrimonial website linked to Unique Identification Development Authority of India (UIDAI) servers, which holds your sensitive information and biometrics of Aadhar Card.
We offer no comment on the veracity of these claims or usefulness of Lovevivah.com. You may wish to refer to rulings of Supreme Court of India and UIDAI laws related to use of Aadhar and protection of your data.
IN CONCLUSION
Before you enroll in any matrimonial portal, it is advisable to check their terms and conditions.While most tempt you to register free, accessing correspondence from interested parties is blocked unless you cough up a hefty fee for so-called ‘Premium’ memberships. Many marriage portals offer the facility of an online chat with their customer service agents. However, to do so, you may have to submit details including your email ID and mobile number. Giving your mobile number and email renders you prone to marketing calls and spam email. There are no guarantees your details will not be sold to third parties for marketing purposes, once you have given the mobile number and email. While marriage websites in India are helping millions of people to find life partners, we recommend you read every fine print before patronizing a service.
Also, take steps to ensure the profile of your relative or friend does not fall into wrong hands since anyone with a paid membership can access details and correspond.