The girl often never saw the man who tied the "thali" again and later married a different man during the "sambandham". However, although she neither mourned the death of her "sambandham" husband nor became a widow, she did observe certain mourning rituals upon the death of the man who had tied her "thali". Panikkar argues that this proves that the real, religious marriage is the "thalikettu kalyanam", although he also calls it a "mock marriage". He believes that it may have come into existence to serve as a religious demarcation point. Sexual morality was lax, especially outside the higher ranks, and both relationship break-ups and realignments were common; the "thali kalyanam" legitimised the marital status of the woman in the eyes of her faith prior to her becoming involved in the amoral activities that were common practice.