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What is a marriage biodata? Meaning, contents and how families use it
Someone has asked for your “biodata”, or your parents want to make one for you, and nobody has explained what it should look like. Here is what a marriage biodata is, what it contains, how it differs from a CV or a matrimony profile, who usually makes it and how it travels between families.
- A marriage biodata is a one-page introduction that families exchange when an arranged marriage is being considered.
- It covers personal details, education and work, family, a few lines about the person, preferences and a contact.
- It is not a CV: the reader is a family deciding whether to talk, not an employer deciding whether to hire.
- It is usually shared as a PDF on WhatsApp, and is very often prepared and sent by parents.
The meaning, in one paragraph
“Biodata” is short for biographical data. In the context of marriage, a biodata is a one-page profile of a person who is looking for a match, written so that another family can decide whether a first phone call or meeting is worth having. It does not decide the match. It only answers the first questions every family has: who is this person, what do they do, what is their family like, and how do we get in touch.
If you are asking in Hindi — shaadi ka biodata kya hota hai — the answer is the same: it is your parichay, a short written introduction of you and your family.
The names you will hear across India
The document is broadly the same everywhere, but the name and a few customs change from region to region:
| Where | What people call it | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Hindi-speaking states | Shaadi ka biodata, vivah biodata, rishta biodata, parichay patra | Community introduction meets (parichay sammelan) often print biodatas in a booklet |
| Maharashtra | Lagnacha biodata | Marriage bureaus called vadhu-var suchak mandal keep biodatas on file. Note that lagna patrika usually means the wedding invitation card, not the biodata |
| Gujarat | Lagna biodata | Often made in both Gujarati and English |
| Tamil Nadu | Marriage biodata, often sent with the jathagam | The jathagam is the horoscope; many families exchange it along with, or even before, the biodata |
| Andhra Pradesh & Telangana | Pelli biodata | A jatakam may be asked for separately |
| Karnataka | Maduve biodata | Families that follow horoscope matching ask for the jataka |
| Bengal | Biyer biodata | Often includes gotra and horoscope details where followed |
| Muslim families (across India) | Rishta biodata, rishta profile | Usually no horoscope section; maslak or sect may be mentioned |
Whatever it is called, a family asking for your biodata expects roughly the same one-page document.
What a marriage biodata contains
| Section | What it says | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Personal details | Name, date of birth, height, religion, mother tongue, marital status | Neha Joshi · 12 January 1998 · 5′ 3″ · Never married |
| Horoscope (if followed) | Time and place of birth, rashi, nakshatra, gotra, manglik status | 7:15 AM, Nagpur · Rashi: Kanya |
| Education & career | Highest qualification, job title, employer, city, income range | M.Sc (Microbiology) · Quality Analyst, Lupin, Nagpur |
| Family | Parents’ occupations, siblings, family type, native place | Father: retired bank officer · one younger brother |
| About me | Three or four sentences in the person’s own voice | What they do, enjoy and value |
| Partner preferences & contact | A few lines of preferences, then one parent’s name and number | Age 26–31, graduate · Father: 98XXXXXX14 |
A photo is usually added at the top. Horoscope, About Me and preferences are optional — a family that does not follow horoscope matching simply leaves that section out. For wording, see what to write in a marriage biodata.
How a biodata differs from a CV and a matrimony profile
People often send a job resume by mistake, or paste their matrimony-site profile into a document. Both miss what a family is looking for.
| Marriage biodata | CV / resume | Matrimony site profile | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who reads it | Parents, relatives, matchmakers, then the person | A recruiter | Members browsing the site |
| Purpose | Decide whether to start a conversation between families | Decide whether to interview | Get shortlisted within the site |
| Length | One page | One or two pages | Set by the site’s form |
| Family details | Central | Never included | A short section |
| Tone | Factual, warm, modest | Achievement-focused | Conversational |
| How it travels | PDF forwarded on WhatsApp, printed copies | Email or job portals | Stays inside the site |
The practical difference: a CV’s “career objective” and project lists mean nothing to a family, while a matrimony profile rarely has the parents’ details that a biodata leads with. The comparison of biodata and matrimony profile shows how to turn one into the other.
Who usually makes it
In most families the biodata is prepared by a parent — often with an elder sibling or cousin doing the typing — and sent out under a parent’s name and number. Sometimes the person makes it themselves, especially when they live in another city or are older. Matchmakers occasionally ask for their own format.
Whoever writes it, two parts should come from the person themselves: the About Me lines and the partner preferences. A parent writing “very homely and adjusting nature” about a daughter who is a software engineer in Bengaluru creates the wrong first impression, and the mismatch shows at the first meeting.
How it is shared
- WhatsApp. The most common route. The biodata goes as a PDF to a relative or family friend, who forwards it to families they think are suitable. See how to send it properly.
- Matchmakers and marriage bureaus. They keep copies on file and send them to families with matching requirements.
- Community meets and associations. Caste, regional and religious associations hold introduction events where biodatas are printed in booklets or handed over in person.
- Printed copies. Still used when relatives visit, or when a family prefers paper. This is why the page should print cleanly on A4.
- Alongside a matrimony site. Families that meet on a site often ask for the PDF biodata before the first call.
Because a biodata is forwarded to people you will never meet, it should carry a parent’s phone number and your city — never your full address, ID numbers or exact salary.
How long it should be
One A4 page. The first reader usually opens it on a phone, often among several others received the same week, and gives it less than a minute. A second page is rarely read.
If yours runs over, cut in this order: shorten About Me to four sentences, reduce partner preferences to three lines, remove relatives beyond parents and siblings, and move the horoscope chart to a separate file sent on request. The facts — age, height, education, work, family, city — should all fit on the first page.
A short example
Biodata — Neha Joshi
Personal details
| Date of birth | 12 January 1998 |
| Height | 5′ 3″ |
| Religion | Hindu |
| Mother tongue | Marathi |
| Marital status | Never married |
| Lives in | Nagpur |
Education & career
| Education | M.Sc (Microbiology), RTM Nagpur University |
| Occupation | Quality Analyst, Lupin, Nagpur |
| Income | ₹5 – 7 Lakh per annum |
Family
| Father | Vinayak Joshi — retired Officer, Bank of Maharashtra |
| Mother | Smita Joshi — teacher, Somalwar High School |
| Siblings | One younger brother, studying B.Com |
| Native place | Wardha, Maharashtra |
About me
| I test medicines in a quality lab and like work where details matter. I read Marathi novels, cycle on Sunday mornings and help my mother with her school’s annual function every year. I value honesty and a calm home. |
Partner preferences
| Age 26–31, graduate or above, working in Nagpur or Pune. Respectful, even-tempered and close to his family. |
Contact
| Father | Vinayak Joshi — 98XXXXXX14 |
Sample only — all names, dates and numbers are invented.
That is all a biodata needs to be. To make your own, follow the step-by-step guide, start from a blank marriage biodata format, or use the Marriage Biodata Maker app on Android, which lays out these sections on an A4 page and exports a PDF.
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Last updated 23 September 2026 · Biodata for Marriage team
Frequently asked questions
What is a marriage biodata?
Biodata kya hota hai shaadi ke liye?
Is a marriage biodata the same as a resume?
Who should make the marriage biodata, parents or the person?
How many pages should a marriage biodata be?
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