Abstract: Dowry refers to “the property, money, ornaments or any other form of wealth which a man or his family receives from his wife or her family at the time of marriage. Dowry is both a practice and a problem with Indian marriage” (Haveripeth, 2013).The practice of giving dowry was meant to assist a newly-wed couple to start their life together with ease; however, now it has become a commercial transaction in which monetary considerations receive priority over the personal merits of the bride. Dowry system has given rise to many socio economic problems with very serious consequences. Numerous incidents of bride burning, harassment and physical torture of newlywed women and various kinds of pressure tactics being adopted by the husbands/in-laws’ pressurizing for more dowry have compelled the social reformers and the intelligentsia to give serious thoughts to various aspects associated with the institution of dowry (Sachdeva,1998).Government of India enacted “Dowry Prohibition Act” in 1961, which was further amended in 1985 to control this menace. In spite of this Act, the “give and take” phenomenon of dowry is practiced widely throughout India, irrespective of caste and class (Grantham, 2002).