Dowry

A dowry (also known as trousseau or tocher) is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings to her new husband.

Dowry started as gifts that were handed out to the bride at the time of marriage to make her stay at in-laws place more comfortable. It has hence taken an ugly turn, many parts of India still have a high incidence of dowry demands. Some states with a very poor reputation with regards to dowry are - Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu. This is a sad reality in Indian marriages and has gone unchecked.