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Terms & Conditions

Terms & Conditions

Effective date: [EFFECTIVE DATE]

Draft for legal review. This document is a template based on the product's features and has not been reviewed by a lawyer. Do not publish before counsel review and before replacing every [PLACEHOLDER].

These Terms & Conditions ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Samskara Kula website at [WEBSITE URL], the Samskara Kula customer mobile application, and the Samskara Kula priest application (together, the "Platform" or "Service"), operated by [LEGAL ENTITY NAME], [ENTITY TYPE] incorporated in [COUNTRY OF INCORPORATION], with registered address at [REGISTERED ADDRESS] ("Samskara Kula", "we", "us", "our").

By creating an account, or otherwise accessing or using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms and by our Privacy Policy, Refund & Cancellation Policy, and Kundali & Astrology Disclaimer, each of which is incorporated by reference. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

1. Definitions

  • "Customer" — a user who uses the customer app/website to manage family members, view the ritual calendar, and book priests.
  • "Priest" / "Pandit" / "Purohit" — an independent third-party service provider who registers to offer ritual services through the Platform.
  • "Samskara" — a Hindu life-cycle rite; "Puja"/"Homam" — other ceremonies offered through the Platform.
  • "Booking" — a request by a Customer for a Priest to perform a ceremony, in person or virtually.
  • "Samagri" — ritual materials/kits; "Prasad" — consecrated offerings that may be shipped after a ceremony.
  • "Proof-of-Ritual" — a tamper-evident video record of a performed ceremony.
  • "Generational Vault" — the Customer's private archive of ritual media.
  • "User Content" — any content you submit, including family/lineage details, uploaded documents (such as your own kundali), reviews, and media.

2. Eligibility & accounts

2.1 You must be at least 18 years old and able to form a binding contract. By using the Service you represent that you meet these requirements.

2.2 You may add family members (including minors) to your family account only where you are the parent or legal guardian, or are otherwise authorised to provide their information. You are responsible for having the authority and any consents required to submit another person's personal or lineage data.

2.3 Accounts are secured by one-time-passcode (OTP) sign-in. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account and for all activity under it. Notify us promptly at [SUPPORT EMAIL] of any unauthorised use.

3. The Service — and our role as a marketplace

3.1 Samskara Kula provides: a family-tree-driven ritual calendar; a vetted priest marketplace with in-person and virtual booking; a computed Vedic birth-chart (Kundali) feature; Samagri and Prasad logistics; a Proof-of-Ritual capture system; and the Generational Vault.

3.2 We are an intermediary/marketplace. Priests are independent providers, not our employees or agents. The contract for the actual performance of a ceremony is between you and the Priest. We facilitate discovery, scheduling, payment, and record-keeping; we do not ourselves perform ceremonies and do not guarantee any particular religious, spiritual, astrological, or personal outcome.

3.3 Vetting is not a guarantee. We apply a vetting process to Priests and only surface those marked as verified. Vetting reflects checks made at a point in time and is not a warranty of a Priest's conduct, qualifications, ritual correctness, punctuality, or results. You are encouraged to exercise your own judgement, including reviewing ratings and tradition/language details.

3.4 Tradition accuracy. Ritual practice varies across traditions (e.g. North Vedic and South Agamic) and communities. We present tradition, Veda/Shakha, and lineage information as provided by you and by Priests; we do not adjudicate the correctness of any tradition-specific practice.

4. Bookings

4.1 A Booking is a request. It becomes confirmed only after payment is completed and the relevant status is reached in the app. Availability, timing windows, and Muhurta indications are provided for convenience and may change.

4.2 You are responsible for providing accurate details (family member, ceremony type, mode, venue address for in-person, and preferred dates). Incorrect or incomplete information may prevent a Priest from performing the ceremony and may affect eligibility for a refund (see the Refund & Cancellation Policy).

4.3 Virtual ceremonies rely on third-party streaming/connectivity. We are not responsible for interruptions caused by your device, network, or third-party services.

5. Fees, payments and taxes

5.1 Fees are shown before you confirm a Booking. Payments are processed by third-party providers (e.g. Stripe, Razorpay). We do not store your full card numbers, CVV, or bank credentials; those are handled by the payment provider under its own terms.

5.2 Prices may be shown in different currencies (e.g. USD, GBP, AED, INR). Your bank or the payment provider may apply conversion rates and fees for which we are not responsible.

5.3 You are responsible for any applicable taxes, duties, or charges, including customs duties on internationally shipped Samagri or Prasad.

6. Cancellations, refunds, Samagri and Prasad

6.1 Cancellations and refunds are governed by the Refund & Cancellation Policy.

6.2 Where a ceremony requires Samagri or produces Prasad, shipping timelines, carriers, and customs are outside our full control. Title and risk, delivery windows, and the effect of shipping issues on refunds are described in the Refund & Cancellation Policy.

7. Proof-of-Ritual and the Generational Vault

7.1 For certain ceremonies, a Proof-of-Ritual video may be captured by the Priest. By proceeding, you and the participants consent to the capture and secure storage of this recording. Do not proceed if any participant does not consent. You are responsible for informing participants and obtaining any consents required by law.

7.2 Proof-of-Ritual and Vault media are stored privately, encrypted at rest, and made accessible only through time-limited signed links. We do not make this media public. Handling of this media is described in the Privacy Policy.

7.3 You retain ownership of media you upload or that is captured for you. You grant us a limited, non-exclusive licence to host, store, process, back up, and display that content to you for the purpose of operating the Service. We do not use your Vault media or uploaded documents to train models or for advertising.

8. The computed Kundali and your uploaded kundali

8.1 The birth chart ("Kundali") generated in the app is Samskara Kula's own computed version, produced from astronomical ephemeris data. It is provided for reference and convenience and is not an authoritative or professional astrological reading. See the Kundali & Astrology Disclaimer.

8.2 You may optionally upload your own kundali document as a personal reference. We store it privately, show it back only to you, and never use it in our computations. You are responsible for having the right to upload any document you submit.

9. Acceptable use

You agree not to: (a) use the Service unlawfully or for any unlawful ceremony; (b) impersonate another person or misrepresent your authority over a family member's data; (c) upload content that is unlawful, infringing, or that you have no right to submit; (d) attempt to access another family's data, or to circumvent security, RLS, or access controls; (e) scrape, reverse-engineer, or overload the Service; (f) harass, defraud, or abuse Priests or other users; or (g) post fake, defamatory, or manipulated reviews.

10. Priest terms (applies to Priest users)

10.1 If you register as a Priest, you additionally represent that you are qualified and lawfully able to provide the services you list, that your profile information (tradition, languages, service regions, qualifications) is accurate, and that you will perform booked ceremonies with reasonable skill and care.

10.2 You are an independent provider and are responsible for your own taxes, licences, and compliance. Your vetting/verification status may be granted, suspended, or revoked at our discretion where warranted.

10.3 Where you capture a Proof-of-Ritual recording, you must obtain participant consent and must not misuse, copy, retain, or share the recording outside the Platform.

11. Intellectual property

The Platform, including its software, design, branding, and content (excluding User Content and Priest-provided content), is owned by or licensed to Samskara Kula and protected by law. We grant you a limited, revocable, non-transferable licence to use the Service for its intended purpose. Domain terms (e.g. Samskara, Gotra, Muhurta) are used descriptively and are not claimed as our trademarks.

12. Third-party services

The Service integrates third parties (payment processors, streaming, shipping/ logistics, maps/geocoding, push notifications, cloud hosting, analytics). Their processing is governed by their own terms and privacy policies. We are not responsible for third-party services except as required by law.

13. Disclaimers

13.1 The Service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, express or implied, to the maximum extent permitted by law, including any warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, accuracy, or availability.

13.2 We do not warrant any religious, spiritual, astrological, ritual-correctness, or personal outcome, nor the results, conduct, or punctuality of any Priest. Muhurta timings, calendar entries, and Kundali outputs are informational and may be incomplete or unavailable (for example where an ephemeris provider is not configured).

14. Limitation of liability

14.1 To the maximum extent permitted by law, Samskara Kula and its officers, employees, and suppliers will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for loss of profits, goodwill, data, or opportunity, arising from or related to your use of the Service.

14.2 To the maximum extent permitted by law, our total aggregate liability for any claim arising out of or related to the Service will not exceed the greater of (a) the total fees you paid to us for the Booking giving rise to the claim in the [3] months before the event, or (b) [AMOUNT / e.g. USD 100].

14.3 Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law (for example, for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or for fraud).

15. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Samskara Kula from claims, damages, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your breach of these Terms, your User Content, your misuse of the Service, or your violation of any law or third-party right, including any lack of authority or consent to submit another person's data.

16. Suspension and termination

We may suspend or terminate your access, with or without notice, if you breach these Terms, create risk or legal exposure, or where required by law. You may stop using the Service at any time; certain provisions (e.g. IP, disclaimers, liability, indemnity, governing law) survive termination.

17. Changes to the Service and to these Terms

We may modify the Service or these Terms. Where changes are material, we will take reasonable steps to notify you (e.g. in-app or by email). Continued use after changes take effect constitutes acceptance. If you do not agree, stop using the Service.

18. Governing law and disputes

18.1 These Terms are governed by [GOVERNING LAW], without regard to conflict-of- law rules. Subject to any mandatory consumer-protection rights in your country of residence, the [COURTS / VENUE] have exclusive jurisdiction over disputes.

18.2 Where required by applicable law, you may have rights to bring claims in your local courts or through consumer-dispute mechanisms; nothing here removes those mandatory rights.

19. Grievance / contact

For questions, notices, or complaints under these Terms, contact [SUPPORT EMAIL]. For grievances under applicable law (including the India DPDP Act / IT Rules where relevant), contact the Grievance Officer: [GRIEVANCE OFFICER NAME + EMAIL].

20. Miscellaneous

If any provision is held unenforceable, the rest remains in effect. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver. You may not assign these Terms without our consent; we may assign them in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale. We are not liable for delays or failures caused by events beyond our reasonable control (force majeure). These Terms, together with the policies incorporated by reference, are the entire agreement between you and us regarding the Service.