“I am a manglik boy and I love a non-manglik girl and she wants to marry me, I also want the same but I can’t marry her coz I am manglik. What should I do?” (Quora)

What dark bigotry is this, you ask? Is a “manglik” a member of India’s untouchable caste? Nope. Caste bigotry is still very real, but increasingly considered socially and legally unacceptable. There is, however, another karma-based bigotry that remains perfectly acceptable and mainstream. What, you ask, is this horrifying “manglik” condition that is breaking so many young hearts?

Quite simply, a manglik is someone whose astrological horoscope has the planet Mars in the “wrong” place:

According to Vedic astrology, a person is a Manglik…if the planet Mars is placed in either 1st, 2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th or 12th house of their lunar chart… Many Hindus believe that if you are born under the Manglik star… there will be serious problems in your married life. In fact, many Hindu priests say that you could have a divorce or even worse, your husband could die after marriage.

If you’re considering a prospective mate, you’re expected to check with your family astrologer, or with any of countless websites that generously offer “Free Manglik Checks!” Next, they sell you help to find a new match with a more correct birthday. Or a Hindu priest’s help to cure the planetary curse. Or are paid by advertisers of those services. Sites like these are everywhere:

Manglik Report

According to Indian or Vedic Astrology, when the planet Mars is placed in certain houses of the horoscope of an individual, it casts malefic influence… An individual having such an afflicted Mars status is known as a Manglik… Even Western Astrology also recognizes the ill effects of Planet Mars afflictions in married life of an individual… In case of women it is more stressful as it creates hurdles in their marriage and getting a suitable match for them. Check if your horoscope is afflicted from Manglik…

Free Mangal Dosha Check

Manglik dosha is…is one important criterion for marriage matching in Hindu astrology. It is believed to be devastating for marriage, causing discomfort and tension, separation, divorce, and in some cases, it is believed to cause untimely death of one spouse. It is said that if Mangal Dosha in both the charts is of same intensity then only they should marry with each other.

But manglik checks are just the beginning. If your prospective partner has passed the manglik check, next comes full horoscope matching, or “Kundali.” In India, where a significant percentage of marriages are arranged by the parents, horoscope matching is widely considered necessary:

Let us look at the first and the most important step in a Hindu Wedding. The first step is matching of horoscopes between the probable bride and groom. Matching horoscope before marriage is a very integral part of a Hindu marriage. Normally it is resorted to even before the boy and girl get to meet each other. It is usually the parents who consult an astrologer who matches the couples zodiac compatibility (‘gun milan’/ ‘kundli milan’) as per their birth chart (‘janam patri’). The horoscope of boy and girl are matched on the following 8 counts adding to a total of 36 points (‘gunas’)… If the number of ‘gunas’ is more than 27 out of the total 36 then a match is considered best and if it is anywhere between 18 to 26, a marriage can be advised.

Check any region’s Internet business directory and you’ll find endless listings for horoscope matching services. They don’t call themselves “psychics,” or have disclaimers that it’s “for entertainment purposes only.” No, they call themselves “doctors,” “consultants,” “experts,” and “astrologicians,” whose “scientific services” are provided at “clinics,” “research centers,” “astrological academies,” and “consultancies.” They photograph themselves in white coats looking like medical researchers, while technical-looking logos resemble chemistry’s periodic table. Here’s a small fraction for the city of Pune:

Matchmaking in India, whether by the parents or by the couple, is now heavily supported by online matchmaking services. A person’s horoscope is considered a core part of his or her profile in most of these services.

A 2011 study by a large online matchmaking service, “Astrological beliefs still popular with youngsters looking for arranged marriages,” found that that manglik prejudice persists in younger people. So of course they announce their intention to promote the prejudice and profit from it:

…over 60% profiles posted on the site has listed themselves under the manglik/non manglik brackets. It is also interesting to note that the acceptance of mangliks among the non manglik community is as low as 9%, which clearly shows that astrological compatibility is still one of the key criterions considered during arranged marriages… In case of brides 39% of profiles have been posted by parents and 35% of them have been posted by self. Therefore, it is evident that it is not only the older generation who are stuck with these taboos, the younger generation also believes in the same… Rohit Manghnani, Business Head, Jeevansathi.com said, “Over the last few years we have witnessed that horoscope matching is gaining ground across communities in India... It is not only the older generation who send us enquiries for horoscope services, the younger crowd also avails of these services.” … Jeevansathi.com recognizes this and offers a free service where a person can see how many Gunas are matching between his/her and their prospective partners profile.

Most sources describe horoscope matching as a “science” rooted in the religion of Hinduism:, a product of karma, much like caste:

Jyotisha: The Science of Hindu (Vedic) Astrology In Western countries, [Jyotisha] is called Vedic astrology, which refers to Indian or Hindu astrology. The origin of Jyotisha is from the Vedas, the scriptures of Hindus… It is well known that the planets with their large magnetic fields and gravitational interaction with the Earth, affect it physically. It is not illogical either that they might have subtler influences… Philosophically, Vedic astrology reflects the law of Karma… Fate in Karma means that our present condition is the result of our past actions from previous lives…

Astrology skepticism is a growing progressive movement in India. And while the Internet has been a boon for the astrology industry, it also provides a growing forum for stories like these:

“My cousin is going through a broken marriage. He has been facing hell. HIs was an arranged marriage after checking all the parts of horoscope.” “My friend rejected an awesome alliance which was perfect in all ways except that the gunas (numbers) didn’t add up. His wedding was called off a week before the date.” (Quora)