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Marriage is a universal human institution which has formed the foundation of the family throughout history. While the traditions surrounding marriage ceremonies, the rights and obligations of marriage, the way of choosing one's marriage partner, and even who one is permitted to marry may differ from culture to culture, the essential necessity of marriage has long been recognized economically, legally, spiritually, and socially as the primary social institution for raising children. It is widely recognized that marriage provides the proper setting for cultivating love between a man and a woman.

The Sanskrit word Kalpa has several distinct meanings in the context of Indian religious tradition: first, it can refer to a measurement of time in the cosmic cycles of creation and dissolution of the universe; or second, it can refer to one of the six disciplines of Vedanga (meaning "limbs of the Veda") in Hinduism that focuses on ritual.