Terms & Conditions

1. About these Terms

These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the Varnamalai website, mobile application and related services (together, the “Platform”), operated by Varnamalai Matrimony, a sole proprietorship owned and carried on by Radha Pichika at 16 Cheran Street, Prakash Nagar, Ambattur, Chennai 600053, Tamil Nadu, India (“Varnamalai”, “we”, “us”, “our”).

By creating an account, submitting a profile, or otherwise using the Platform, you confirm that you have read, understood and agree to be bound by these Terms and by our Privacy Policy and Refund Policy, each of which forms part of these Terms.

If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use the Platform.

2. Definitions

3. Eligibility

You may use the Platform only if you meet all of the following:

3.1 You are seeking marriage for yourself, or assisting a Candidate who is seeking marriage, in good faith.

3.2The Candidate is of legal marriageable age under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 — 21 years or above for men and 18 years or above for women. We may, at our discretion, apply a higher minimum age.

3.3 The Candidate is legally free to marry: unmarried, or lawfully divorced, or widowed. Persons whose marriage is subsisting, and persons whose divorce proceedings are pending and not yet decreed, are not permitted to register or be listed.

3.4 You are competent to contract under the Indian Contract Act, 1872.

3.5 You have not previously been removed from the Platform by us.

We may require documentary proof of age, identity, marital status or qualifications at any time, and may suspend a profile until proof is provided.

4. Registration and profiles created on behalf of others

4.1 Accurate information.You must provide true, current and complete information. Deliberate misrepresentation of age, marital status, education, income, occupation, health, caste or community, or the use of another person's photographs, is a serious breach of these Terms.

4.2 One profile per Candidate. A Candidate may have only one active profile. Duplicate profiles may be merged or removed.

4.3 Profiles created by Family Representatives. We recognise that in South Indian matrimonial practice, profiles are very often created by parents or relatives. If you create or manage a profile on behalf of a Candidate, you represent and warrant that:

• (a) you have the Candidate's express, informed and current consent to create the profile, to share their personal information, and to receive and respond to Interests on their behalf;
• (b) the Candidate is aware that their profile is listed on a matrimonial platform and may be shown to other Members and to Matchmakers;
• (c) you will inform the Candidate of any Introduction made; and
• (d) you will promptly tell us if that consent is withdrawn.

4.4 Consent gate. A profile created on behalf of a Candidate will not become visible to other Members until the Candidate has confirmed their consent through the verification step we provide. We enforce this and will not waive it.

4.5 Withdrawal of consent. A Candidate may withdraw consent at any time. On withdrawal we will remove the profile from visibility and handle their data as set out in the Privacy Policy. Withdrawal does not entitle a refund of fees already paid for services already delivered.

4.6 Account security. You are responsible for keeping your login credentials confidential and for all activity under your account. Notify us immediately at info@varnamalai.com if you suspect unauthorised use.

5. Verification — what we do and do not check

5.1 We may carry out basic verification, such as mobile number confirmation, email confirmation, and review of documents voluntarily submitted.

5.2 We do not independently investigate or guarantee the truth of any information in any profile, including identity, age, marital status, income, education, employment, property, family background, caste or sub-sect, horoscope details, health status, or criminal history — unless a specific verification badge is displayed, and then only to the extent stated alongside that badge.

5.3 You are solely responsible for satisfying yourself, through your own independent enquiries, about any person you consider for marriage. Please make your own enquiries before committing to anything.

6. How the Platform works

6.1 Curated, mediated matchmaking. Varnamalai is a curated and matchmaker-mediated service. Suggestions are prepared with the assistance of automated systems and, where applicable, reviewed by a Matchmaker before being shown to you.

6.2 Suggestions and match cycles. You may receive a limited set of Suggestions at a time, each accompanied by an explanation of why it was suggested. Suggestions may expire if not acted on within the period shown in the app. We may limit how many Suggestions you receive in a given period.

6.3 Explanations are informational. Any explanation of why a profile was suggested is generated in part by automated systems, is provided for your convenience, and is not advice or a recommendation to marry.

6.4 Interests and Introductions. You may express an Interest in a Suggestion. Where a Matchmaker mediates, an Interest may be reviewed before it reaches the other Candidate. The receiving Candidate may accept or decline. A declined Interest is final and may not be re-sent.

6.5 Reasons for declining. Where we ask for a reason for declining, that reason is used to improve your future Suggestions and for internal review. We do not disclose your reason to the other Member.

6.6 Changes to the Platform. We may add, modify, suspend or discontinue features at any time. Where a change materially reduces a paid service you have already bought, we will offer a pro-rata refund or a comparable alternative.

7. No guarantee of outcome

7.1 Varnamalai provides a platform and matchmaking assistance. We do not guarantee that you will receive any particular number of Suggestions, that any Interest will be accepted, that any Introduction will occur, or that any marriage will result.

7.2The decision to proceed with any person, at every stage, is entirely yours and your family's. We are not a party to any relationship, engagement, marriage, or any agreement between Members, and we accept no responsibility for the conduct, character, suitability, or statements of any Member.

7.3 We are not marriage counsellors, and nothing on the Platform constitutes legal, financial, medical, psychological or religious advice.

8. Horoscope and compatibility services

8.1 Where we provide horoscope matching, porutham analysis, dosham assessment or similar features, these are offered as a traditional and cultural service reflecting customary South Indian matchmaking practice.

8.2 These features are not scientific, not predictive, and not a guarantee of compatibility or marital success. Results depend entirely on the birth details you supply; incorrect details will produce incorrect results.

8.3 Different astrologers and traditions apply different methods and may reach different conclusions. We do not warrant that our calculation matches the view of any particular astrologer or family. You should treat the output as one input among many.

9. Fees and subscriptions

Varnamalai offers two separate services, charged differently. You may use either, both, or neither.

These are independent. Subscribing to a Platform plan does not enrol you in the Personal Matchmaker Service, and enrolling in the Personal Matchmaker Service does not require a Platform subscription. Paying for one never reduces or substitutes for the other.

All prices are in Indian Rupees (₹). We are not currently registered for GST and do not charge GST. If we become GST-registered, prices will be stated inclusive of GST and we will notify you at least 30 days before any change takes effect. We will issue a receipt for every payment.

9A. Subscription plans

9A.1 Free registration. Creating an account, building a profile and being listed on the Platform are free. You are not required to subscribe in order to use Varnamalai.

9A.2 Paid plans. We offer the following optional monthly plans:

The features included in each plan are those set out on the pricing page of the Platform at the time you subscribe. We may add features to a plan at any time. If we remove a material feature from a plan you are already paying for, we will give you 30 days' notice and you may cancel without penalty.

9A.3 Billing and auto-renewal. Subscriptions are billed monthly in advance and renew automatically each month until cancelled. By subscribing, you authorise us and our payment partners to collect the monthly amount from your chosen payment method, including by UPI AutoPay mandate, e-mandate or standing instruction where you set one up.

9A.4 Cancellation. You may cancel at any time from within your account. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the month you have already paid for— your plan stays active until then, and you will not be charged again. We do not charge a cancellation fee and there is no minimum term.

9A.5 Failed payments. If a payment fails, we will notify you and may retry. If it remains unpaid, we may downgrade your account to the Free plan. We will not delete your profile for non-payment.

9A.6 Price changes. We may change subscription prices. Existing subscribers will be given at least 30 days' notice by email and in-app notice, and the new price will apply only from the next billing cycle after that notice period. You may cancel before it takes effect rather than pay the new price.

9A.7 What a subscription does not buy. A subscription buys access to features, not an outcome. It does not guarantee any number of Suggestions, any Introduction, any response from another Member, or any marriage (see Clause 7). Matchmaker mediation and the standards applied to all Members are the same whether or not you subscribe.

9B. Add-on Service Fees

9B.1Optional paid services — for example horoscope and porutham reports, profile writing assistance, or one-to-one matchmaking consultations — are charged separately at the price displayed at the point of purchase.

9B.2 Add-on services are entirely optional and are separate from any subscription. Declining them does not affect the Suggestions you receive or your standing on the Platform.

9C. Varnamalai Personal Matchmaker Service

9C.1 What it is. The Personal Matchmaker Service is a separate, human-delivered service in which one of our Matchmakers works directly with you and your family. It includes personal consultation and advice, curated profile suggestions shared with you on an ongoing basis, and support through the introduction process. It is delivered personally, not through the app.

9C.2 How to join. The Personal Matchmaker Service is available on enquiry. Contact us at info@varnamalai.com to discuss whether it is right for you. We may decline an enrolment at our discretion.

9C.3 Registration Fee. A one-time Registration Fee of ₹500 is payable on enrolment. This is a joining fee, not a subscription, and is not charged again.

9C.4 What we commit to. While your enrolment is active, we will:

• (a) share new curated profiles with you on a regular basis, ordinarily weekly, subject to suitable candidates being available;
• (b) make a Matchmaker available for consultation and advice; and
• (c) mediate introductions on your behalf.

Where suitable candidates are genuinely not available in a given week, we will tell you rather than send unsuitable profiles.

9C.5 Success Fee. A one-time Success Fee of ₹10,000 becomes payable when a Confirmed Marriage takes place. A Confirmed Marriage means a marriage solemnised between two Candidates first introduced to each other through the Personal Matchmaker Service, where the marriage takes place within 24 months of that Introduction.

9C.6 Who pays. The Success Fee of ₹10,000 is payable by each Candidate's side— ₹10,000 from the bride's side and ₹10,000 from the groom's side, where both sides are enrolled. Where only one side is enrolled, only that side pays. Where a Family Representative manages the profile, that Representative and the Candidate are jointly and severally responsible.

9C.7 Duty to inform. You agree to tell us in writing within 30 days of any engagement or marriage arising from an Introduction made through the Personal Matchmaker Service. This applies whether or not your enrolment is still active.

9C.8 Payment. The Registration Fee and the Success Fee are paid outside the app— by bank transfer, UPI, or a payment link we send you. The Success Fee is payable within 30 days of the date of marriage. We will issue a receipt for each payment.

9C.9 When the Success Fee is not payable. No Success Fee is payable where:

• (a) the two Candidates were already known to each other, or already in contact through another source, before the Introduction — provided this is disclosed to us in writing before or promptly after the Introduction;
• (b) the marriage takes place more than 24 months after the Introduction;
• (c) the couple were introduced through the app rather than through the Personal Matchmaker Service; or
• (d) we agree in writing to waive it.

9C.10 Ending your enrolment. You may end your enrolment at any time by writing to us. The Registration Fee is not refundable once profile curation has begun. Ending your enrolment does not cancel a Success Fee that has already been triggered by an Introduction already made.

9C.11 No guarantee. The Personal Matchmaker Service does not guarantee any Introduction, any acceptance, or any marriage. Clause 7 applies in full.

9D. Refunds and general

9D.1 Subscriptions. A month already begun is not refundable, but you will not be charged for any month after you cancel. Where we have charged you in error, or a duplicate payment has been taken, we will refund it in full.

9D.2 Add-on services. Fees for services already delivered— a horoscope report already generated, a consultation already held — are non-refundable. Services not yet delivered are refundable.

9D.3 Refund timelines. Approved refunds are processed to the original payment method within 14 working days.

9D.4 Personal Matchmaker Service.The ₹500 Registration Fee is refundable in full if you withdraw before we begin curating profiles for you, and is non-refundable afterwards. The Success Fee is non-refundable once a Confirmed Marriage has occurred.

9D.5 Suspension for breach. If we suspend or terminate your account for breach of these Terms, you are not entitled to a refund of the current month.

9D.6 Nothing in this Clause 9 restricts your rights under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

10. Conduct — what you must not do

You must not, and must not permit anyone using your account to:

10.1 Provide false, misleading or impersonating information, or use another person's photograph or identity.

10.2 Register while already married, or while a divorce is pending and not yet decreed.

10.3 Demand, offer, solicit, or negotiate dowry in any form. Giving or taking dowry is a criminal offence under the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961. Any Member found doing so through the Platform will be removed permanently and may be reported to the authorities.

10.4 Harass, threaten, abuse, stalk, defame or intimidate any Member, or send sexually explicit, obscene or offensive content.

10.5 Use the Platform for any purpose other than seeking marriage — including dating, casual relationships, commercial solicitation, advertising, recruitment, or promotion of any other service.

10.6 Solicit money, gifts, loans, investments, or financial or banking details from any Member. We will never ask you to send money to another Member, and you should treat any such request as fraud.

10.7 Copy, scrape, harvest, index, republish or resell profile data, photographs or contact details from the Platform.

10.8 Share another Member's photographs, contact details or private communications outside the Platform without their consent.

10.9 Attempt to circumvent Matchmaker mediation, security controls, rate limits, or paid features.

10.10 Upload malicious code, or interfere with the operation of the Platform.

10.11 Post content that is unlawful under Indian law, including content that is defamatory, incites violence, or promotes enmity between groups.

Report any breach to info@varnamalai.com or through the in-app report function.

11. Your safety

11.1 We ask you to take the same care online that you would take with any proposal received through a traditional channel:

• Involve family or a trusted elder in early conversations.
• Verify identity, employment, education and marital status independently.
• Meet in a public place, or in the presence of family, for a first meeting.
• Never transfer money, share bank details, OTPs, or send documents such as passport or Aadhaar copies to another Member.
• Be cautious of anyone who avoids video calls, refuses family involvement, or creates urgency around money.

11.2 We may, but are not obliged to, monitor communications and remove content or accounts that appear unsafe.

11.3 If you believe you have been defrauded, report it to us and to the Cyber Crime portal at cybercrime.gov.in or your local police.

12. Your content and the licence you give us

12.1 You retain ownership of the photographs, biodata, horoscopes and other content you upload (“Your Content”).

12.2 You grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to host, store, reproduce, adapt (for formatting and extraction purposes), and display Your Content for the purpose of operating the Platform and providing the service to you — including showing your profile to other Members and to Matchmakers, and processing your biodata using automated tools to structure it into a profile.

12.3 This licence ends when you delete Your Content or close your account, except for copies retained in backups or where retention is required by law.

12.4 We will not use your photographs in advertising or marketing without your separate written consent.

12.5 You represent that you own or have the right to upload Your Content and that it does not infringe any third party's rights.

13. Privacy and data protection

13.1 Our handling of personal data is governed by our Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms.

13.2 We process personal data in accordance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and applicable rules. You have the right to access, correct, and erase your personal data, to withdraw consent, and to nominate another person to exercise your rights.

13.3 Matrimonial profiles necessarily involve sharing sensitive personal information. By listing a profile you consent to that information being shown to other Members and to Matchmakers for the purpose of matchmaking.

13.4 Where you are located in, or your data is processed in, a jurisdiction with additional data protection requirements, we will comply with those requirements to the extent they apply.

13.5 Grievances about personal data may be raised with our Grievance Officer under Clause 18.

14. Our intellectual property

The Platform, the Varnamalai name and logo, the interface, the matching logic, and all associated software and content (other than Your Content) are owned by us or our licensors. You may not copy, modify, reverse engineer, or create derivative works from them.

15. Suspension and termination

15.1 By you. You may deactivate or delete your account at any time through the app or by writing to info@varnamalai.com.

15.2 By us. We may suspend or terminate your account, with or without notice, if we reasonably believe you have breached these Terms, provided false information, behaved in a way that endangers other Members, or if required by law.

15.3 Effect. On termination, your profile is removed from visibility. Clauses that by their nature should survive — including Clause 9C (Success Fee), Clause 16 (disclaimers), Clause 17 (liability), Clause 19 (indemnity) and Clause 21 (governing law) — survive termination.

15.4 Termination for breach does not entitle you to a refund.

16. Disclaimers

16.1 The Platform is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. We do not warrant that it will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure, or that defects will be corrected.

16.2 To the extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties not expressly set out in these Terms.

16.3 We are not responsible for the acts, omissions, statements, conduct or character of any Member, whether online or offline, and we do not conduct criminal background checks.

17. Limitation of liability

17.1 Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits our liability for fraud, wilful misconduct, gross negligence, death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or any liability that cannot be excluded under Indian law, including under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

17.2 Subject to Clause 17.1, our total aggregate liability to you arising out of or in connection with the Platform is limited to the total amount you have actually paid to us in the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim, or ₹10,000, whichever is higher.

17.3 Subject to Clause 17.1, we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, loss of opportunity, emotional distress, reputational harm, or loss arising from your dealings with another Member.

18. Grievance Redressal Officer

In accordance with the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the rules made under it, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023:

We will acknowledge your complaint within 24 hours and endeavour to resolve it within 15 days of receipt.

19. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Varnamalai, its directors, employees and Matchmakers against any claim, loss, liability or expense (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your breach of these Terms, your violation of any law, your infringement of any third party's rights, or any content you submit — except to the extent caused by our own negligence or breach.

20. Changes to these Terms

20.1 We may update these Terms from time to time.

20.2 For material changes — including changes to fees, subscription prices, or your rights — we will give you at least 30 days' notice by email and in-app notice before the change takes effect.

20.3 If you do not accept a material change, you may close your account before the change takes effect. Continuing to use the Platform after that date means you accept the revised Terms.

20.4 Changes will not apply retrospectively to a billing cycle you have already paid for, or to a Success Fee already triggered by an Introduction already made.

21. Governing law and disputes

21.1 These Terms are governed by the laws of India.

21.2 We encourage you to contact our Grievance Officer first — most issues are resolved that way.

21.3 Subject to Clause 21.4, the courts at Chennai, Tamil Nadu shall have exclusive jurisdiction.

21.4 Nothing in this clause affects your right, as a consumer, to bring proceedings before the District, State or National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission having jurisdiction where you reside or work.

22. General

22.1 Entire agreement. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and Refund Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and us.

22.2 Severability. If any provision is held invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force.

22.3 No waiver. Our failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of it.

22.4 Assignment. You may not assign your rights under these Terms. We may assign ours to a successor entity on notice to you.

22.5 Language. These Terms are in English. Any translation is for convenience only; the English version prevails.

22.6 Force majeure. We are not liable for failure to perform caused by events beyond our reasonable control.

23. Contact us

By using Varnamalai, you confirm that you have read and understood these Terms.