Marriage Biodata Guide
The Marriage Biodata Format
The format is settled: six sections on one page, most important first. What varies is which sections you keep — a Hindu biodata usually carries horoscope details, a Muslim biodata replaces them with sect and a Christian one drops them entirely. The rule that never changes: leave a field out rather than writing "N/A".
Section by section
1. Personal details
Name, date of birth written out ("27 Sep 1998" — never 27/09/98, which reads differently abroad), age in brackets, height in feet and cm, religion and community, diet. Complexion and body type used to be common; most families now leave them out, and the photo answers it anyway.
2. Horoscope details
Time and place of birth, rashi, nakshatra, gotra, manglik status. Include what your family actually uses — a half-filled horoscope section invites questions a missing one doesn't.
3. Education & career
Highest qualification with the institute if it carries weight, current role and city. Income is optional: state it plainly ("₹28 LPA") or not at all — ranges read as evasive.
4. Family details
Parents' names and occupations ("retired bank manager" says more than "businessman"), siblings with where they are settled, family type. This is the section the other family reads twice.
5. Contact
One phone number — whoever actually answers, parent or self — and the city you live in now.
6. Partner preference
Two or three lines. "Well-educated, working or not — her choice. Vegetarian household preferred" works. A list of eleven requirements does not.
Sample marriage biodata
MARRIAGE BIODATA
Name Aarav Sharma
Date of birth 27 Sep 1998 (28 yrs)
Height 5' 9" (175 cm)
Religion Hindu, Brahmin
Diet Vegetarian
Time of birth 07:25 am, Jaipur
Rashi Tula (Libra) · Nakshatra: Swati
Gotra Kashyap · Manglik: No
Education B.Tech (CS), IIT Roorkee
Occupation Senior software engineer, Pune
Income ₹28 LPA
Father Rajesh Sharma — retired bank manager
Mother Sunita Sharma — homemaker
Siblings One elder sister, married, Bengaluru
Family Nuclear
Contact +91 98xxx xxxxx · Pune
Looking for Well-educated, working or not — her choice.
Vegetarian household preferred.
Build this in two minutes with the free maker, or see the bride and groom variations.
How does the format change by community?
Only one section really changes: the horoscope section is kept, swapped for a religious line, or dropped. Everything else — personal, education, family, contact, partner preference — stays the same.
| Community | Instead of / in the horoscope section | Usual header |
|---|---|---|
| Hindu | Rashi, nakshatra, gotra, manglik, time and place of birth — details | ॥ श्री गणेशाय नमः ॥ or none |
| Muslim | Sect, maslak, religious practice — details | Bismillah or none |
| Christian | Denomination, parish or church, diocese if used | A cross (✝) or a short verse, or none |
| Sikh | Sikh, got if used, Amritdhari / keeps kesh | ੴ (Ik Onkar) |
| Jain | Sect, community, gotra, Jain diet — details | ॥ जय जिनेन्द्र ॥ |
Write only what your family actually goes by; leaving a line out is always better than guessing at it.
What does a Christian marriage biodata look like?
A Christian biodata drops the horoscope section entirely. The line families look for instead is the church: denomination first, then the parish. In Kerala and Goa the parish and diocese often matter as much as the denomination; elsewhere one line is enough.
MARRIAGE BIODATA
Name Anna Mathew
Date of birth 4 Mar 1997 (29 yrs)
Height 5' 4" (163 cm)
Denomination Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church
Parish St. George's, Kottayam
Diet Non-vegetarian
Education M.Sc. Nursing, CMC Vellore
Occupation Nursing tutor, Bengaluru
Father Mathew Varghese — retired KSEB engineer
Mother Susan Mathew — school teacher
Siblings One younger brother, working in Kochi
Family Nuclear · Native place: Kottayam
Contact +91 94xxx xxxxx (father) · Bengaluru
Looking for Orthodox or Jacobite, well-educated,
settled in South India.
What goes in a Sikh marriage biodata?
A Sikh biodata replaces horoscope details with one religious line: Sikh, the family's community or got if it uses one, and whether the person is Amritdhari or keeps kesh — the question most families ask first. It usually opens with ੴ, and many families prefer Punjabi headings: in the free maker, set the biodata language to ਪੰਜਾਬੀ and pick the ੴ header.
Not sure what photo to use? See which photo to put on a marriage biodata.
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Frequently asked questions
Which format is best for a marriage biodata?
One page, six sections: personal details, horoscope (if your community uses it), education and career, family, contact, and partner preference. Most important details first; skip any section that doesn't apply rather than writing N/A.
Should income be mentioned in a biodata?
It's optional. If you state it, state it plainly ("₹28 LPA"). Vague ranges or "good package" read as evasive; omitting it entirely is completely normal and the topic comes up naturally later.
Is the format different for Hindu and Muslim biodatas?
The skeleton is identical. Hindu biodatas usually include rashi, nakshatra, gotra and manglik status; Muslim biodatas replace that section with sect and religious practice; Christian biodatas drop it. Everything else stays the same.
What is the format of a Christian marriage biodata?
The same one-page, six-section format with no horoscope section. In its place add a short church line: denomination (Catholic, CSI, Marthoma, Pentecostal…), parish or church you attend, and the diocese if your community goes by it. Many families open with a cross or a short verse instead of a deity symbol.
What does a Sikh marriage biodata include?
The standard format with a religious line instead of horoscope details: Sikh, and the community or got if the family uses it, plus whether he or she is Amritdhari or keeps kesh. Ik Onkar (ੴ) is the usual header, and Punjabi headings are common — the free maker prints them.
Can I make a biodata without horoscope details?
Yes. Many families — Christian, Muslim, many Jain and plenty of Hindu families too — never use them. Delete the whole section; the biodata then reads as complete rather than half-filled.