Marriage not 'necessary': Rushdie

Having tied the knot four times, Indian-origin writer Salman Rushdie says he does not believe in marriage and that women rush to the altar only because they want to wear a "wedding dress".

Having tied the knot four times he, controversial Indian-origin writer Salman Rushdie says he doesn't think marriage is "necessary".

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Attacking the institution of marriage, Rushdie said he did not believe in it and that women rushed to the altar only because they wanted to wear a "wedding dress".

The author of The Satanic Verses has been married four times, most recently to Padma Lakshmi, from whom he split last year.

"It's strange, given that I've been married four times, but I actually don't think marriage is necessary," Salman said in an interview for Elle magazine.

"Girls like it, especially if they've never been married before -- it's the dress. Girls, want a wedding, they don't want a marriage. If only you could have weddings without marriages."

Salman also disclosed that he and Lakshmi had marriage counselling, but without success.