The arranged marriage system in India involves families — not just individuals — finding a match. When a family starts searching, they may receive 20–30 profiles simultaneously, through relatives, community networks, pandits, marriage bureaus, and matrimonial sites like Shaadi.com, BharatMatrimony, and Jeevansathi. A biodata allows families to do initial filtering quickly — community, education, profession, location — before investing time and emotion in a meeting.
According to Jeevansathi's 2026 report analysing 30,000 active users, 77% of Indian matrimonial profiles are now self-managed by the candidate themselves — up from roughly 30% a decade ago. Today, many young professionals create their own biodata, often with input from parents on family details and community-specific fields.
Personal details
Name, date and time of birth, place of birth, height, mother tongue, blood group, religion, caste (where applicable).
Horoscope details (for Hindu families)
Gotra, Rashi (Vedic moon sign), Nakshatra (birth star), Nadi, Gan, and Manglik status. For South Indian Hindu families, this section is called Jathagam. Muslim biodatas include Sect and Biradari here instead. Sikh biodatas include Gotra and native village.
Family background
Father's name and occupation, mother's name and occupation, siblings (with married/unmarried status), family type (joint or nuclear), native village or ancestral town.
Education and career
Highest qualification, institution, current employer, designation, and optionally, salary range.
About Me
3–5 sentences describing personality, values, lifestyle, and what the candidate is genuinely looking for in a partner.
Partner preferences
Age range, education, community (if specified), location, and any other preferences stated honestly and generously.
Contact details
Parent's phone number and WhatsApp, email, city. Always the parent's number — not the candidate's personal mobile.
Marriage biodata is known by different names across India:
| Language / Community | Term used |
|---|---|
| Hindi | शादी का बायोडाटा (Shadi ka biodata) or Vivah biodata |
| Marathi | लग्नाचा बायोडाटा (Lagnacha biodata) |
| Tamil | Jathagam biodata or Thirumaṇa biodata |
| Telugu | Vivaha biodata |
| Bengali | বিয়ের বায়োডাটা (Biye biodata) |
| Punjabi | Rishta biodata (Sikh and Punjabi Hindu families) |
| Muslim communities | Rishta biodata or Nikah biodata |
Is a biodata the same as a resume? No. Despite the same word being used in job applications in India, a marriage biodata and a resume are completely different documents.
| Biodata | Resume / CV | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Finding a life partner | Getting a job |
| Read by | Partner's family | Employer / recruiter |
| Includes | Family background, horoscope, values | Work history, skills, achievements |
| Photo | Almost always included | Not standard (India exception) |
| Length | 1 page always | 1–3 pages |
| Tone | Personal, warm | Professional, formal |
| Shared via | WhatsApp, relatives, pandit | Email, job portals, LinkedIn |
Yes, and they serve different networks. A matrimony site profile (Shaadi.com, BharatMatrimony, Jeevansathi) reaches families who are actively searching on that platform. A biodata PDF reaches everyone else — relatives, family friends, community marriage bureaus, pandits, and WhatsApp networks.
The biodata PDF is often the first document that goes out in a family's network, months before a matrimony site profile is created. Many families use both simultaneously. A matrimony site profile is public — visible to any registered user. A biodata is private — shared only with specific people you trust.
According to Jeevansathi's 2026 report, 77% of Indian matrimonial profiles are now self-managed by the candidate. A decade ago, parents handled almost everything. Today, especially in urban India, the candidate typically creates their own biodata — often with input from parents on family details and community-specific fields.
In Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, siblings often act as digital facilitators, helping parents who aren't comfortable with technology. Both approaches are completely normal. Marriage Biodata Hub is designed to work for the 28-year-old engineer creating their own biodata at 10pm, and for the 52-year-old mother creating her daughter's biodata for the first time.
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Create My Free Biodata →A marriage biodata is a structured one-page document used in Indian arranged marriages to introduce a potential bride or groom to another family. It covers personal details, family background, education, career, horoscope information (for Hindu families), and partner preferences. It is shared via WhatsApp, given to relatives, or submitted to matrimonial bureaus — and is typically the first step in the arranged marriage process.
No. A marriage biodata and a resume are completely different documents. A resume is for job applications — it focuses on work experience, skills, and professional achievements. A marriage biodata is for the arranged marriage process — it includes family background, horoscope details, personal values, and partner preferences. The word "biodata" is used for both in India, which creates confusion, but the documents serve entirely different purposes.
It's called shadi ka biodata (शादी का बायोडाटा) in Hindi, lagnacha biodata (लग्नाचा बायोडाटा) in Marathi, Jathagam biodata in Tamil, Rishta biodata or Nikah biodata in Muslim communities, and biye biodata (বিয়ের বায়োডাটা) in Bengali.
Yes. A matrimony site profile and a biodata PDF serve different networks. The site reaches families searching on that platform. The biodata PDF reaches relatives, family friends, community marriage bureaus, pandits, and WhatsApp family networks — channels that many Indian families use in parallel with matrimonial sites.
A matrimony site profile lives online and is searchable by other registered users. A marriage biodata is a PDF document you share manually — via WhatsApp, email, or in person. Biodatas often contain more personal and family detail than a public online profile, because they're shared with specific people you trust, not posted for anyone to find.