Each of us has a wonderful story to tell. Each one of us is an amalgamation of diverse experiences and wisdom. Each one of us is unique and hence, possesses distinct qualities that define the person that we are. But, many of us are bound by a string, a commonality, so to say. Womanhood.
Womanhood is a breathtaking experience to say the very least. As a traveler, who has embarked on this journey 20 odd years ago, I can vouch for the fact that the wonderment of undertaking the trail through womanhood, is second to none. Some days when I have thirsted, I have been met with a babbling brook of pristine water. And sometimes I have had to journey on for days on end, hungry and worn out, without even a bird in sight.
In this article, I present to you the journey of women in India, from the very beginning. A salient feature of these journeys is that some epochs have actually witnessed women going backward rather than forwards. These eras are marked by violation of women’s rights, the subjugation of females, and restriction on certain aspects of freedom and autonomy previously enjoyed by women.
According to the renowned historian Altekar, ‘one of the best ways to understand the spirit of a civilization and to appreciate its excellences and realize its limitations is to study the history of the position and status of women in it’. For the convenience of the reader, I have made this a two-part series-the first part will give you a detailed insight into the status of women in Ancient India.
Ancient India:
Contrary to popular notion, Ancient India was a Woman’s haven. Women enjoyed unique rights and were allowed to pursue professions related to religion, teaching, and the arts. The ancient Indian era is further subdivided into the early Vedic period (also called the Rig Veda), the later Vedic period (also called the epic period), the Jainism and Buddhism period, and finally the dharmashastra period. Women enjoyed a central position in the household right up till the dharmashastra period. However, the dharmashastra period saw the woman being forced to take up a subservient role, in the family and society in general.
During the Early Vedic Period (1500 BC-1000 BC)
- Women were considered an integral component of society and were honoured with respect and freedom.
- They had the right to participate in war, gymnastics, archery, horse riding, and decision-making.
- They were encouraged to get educated and were free to select their partners, in a ceremony called Swayamvara.
- Goddesses were highly regarded as the ultimate source of energy. Vedic Goddesses like Durga and Saraswati were worshipped with great piety.
- The Vedic scriptures mention women seers and sages
- Women were considered as Ardhaangini (The Better Half) and Sahadharmini (An Equal Partner)
- There have been repeated mentions of polyandry in the Vedic scriptures.
- Widows were allowed to remarry, but divorce wasn’t permissible on any grounds.
- There have been no mentions of Child Marriage in the Vedic Era
- Females enjoyed absolute economic freedom. They pursued professions related to teaching, sewing, weaving, agriculture, and so on. They were also allowed to read, interpret and replicate sacred texts.
- Rituals and ceremonies were considered incomplete without the presence of women.
- A prominent downside for women was the Inheritance laws that prevailed. Married women were not given a share of their father’s property. Spinsters were given a meager share of the property.
During the Later Vedic Period (1000BC-600BC)
- There is a noticeable paradigm shift in a woman’s status during this period.
- Instead of seeing a woman as an individual, a woman was now seen as someone to fulfill the role of a wife, mother, wife, sister, daughter. And that too perfectly.
- Gender roles were defined and the perception of an ideal wife and mother was decided upon.
- Women like Kunti, Draupadi, Ganga, Uttara, Gandhari, Sita, Savitri were seen as role-models.
- The philosophy of pativrata (devotion towards the husband) was glorified.
- This period also saw no mention of polyandry, although polygamy was frequently mentioned and followed.
- The Devadasi tradition was started, wherein young girls were ‘dedicated’ to deities. These girls were expected to serve priests and pilgrims for the rest of their lives.
During the Jainism and Buddhism period (600BC-200BC)
- This period saw the unification of various Indian cultures, which was originally started by the Aryans.
- Women were encouraged to live an honorable and liberal life.
- The Buddhist movement stressed gender equality.
- Women were allowed to become nuns-bhikkhunis. They were allowed to leave their households and join a religious order or a monastery.
- Women excelled in painting, music, and the fine arts.
- Many women were allowed to remain spinsters in order to pursue academic interests.
- They were also free to write into the sacred verses and were allowed to hold spiritual discourses.
- The ability to become Sannyasins, saw more and more women being involved in matters of religion and spirituality. Some of them were also successful in maintaining their own Sanghas.
- Sadly, women lost their previous economic rights, and nuns were always viewed as inferior to monks. Their politico-economic status in society suffered.
- They were also excluded from political participation.
During the Dharmashastra age (200 BC to 647 AD)
- Manusmriti was written. Also known as Manu’s codification of the laws governing society, Manusmriti proved to be detrimental for women.
- Women’s right to education was fully withdrawn.
- Child marriage customs were initiated.
- Husbands, who were initially portrayed as equals in a marriage, were now glorified and given God-like status. Their wives were looked upon as servers and not equal stakeholders in the household.
- It was considered a woman’s solemn duty to give birth in abundance and preferably produce male heirs. She was expected to follow strict social norms and was also expected to sacrifice her own comfort and well-being, for the sake of her family.
- The purdah system came into being.
- Remarriage of widows became strictly prohibited.
- The act of burning oneself on one’s husband’s funeral pyre or Sati became all the rage.
- Women were looked upon as second-class citizens. Their participation in religion was greatly reduced. They were forbidden from practicing penance of any kind. She wasn’t allowed to participate in prayers, rituals, sacrifices, and pilgrimages.
- Women were absolutely prohibited from inheriting their husband’s property.
- An independent woman was frowned upon. The low socio-economic status awarded to women ensured that women could never be independent. They were always subservient to the males that they were related to.
Thus in the Ancient Era itself, we see a decreasing trend in the rights enjoyed by women. By far, the Dharmashastra era was the worst for women, reducing them to mere caretakers, child-bearer, and servants. Male domination was at an all-time high. Women were supposed to remain under their fathers during childhood, under their husbands during the marriage, and under their sons in old age.’ they were regarded as property owned by males and following that logic, were not allowed any form of inheritance.
-Article by Neketra Trivedi, 2nd year Department of Chemical Engineering