This book analyses the diverse ways in which women have been
represented in the Puranic traditions in ancient India - the
virtuous wife, mother, daughter, widow, and prostitute - against
the socio-religious milieu around CE 300-1000. Puranas (lit.
ancient narratives) are brahmanical texts that largely fall under
the category of socio-religious literature which were more
broad-based and inclusive, unlike the Smrtis, which were accessible
mainly to the upper sections of society. In locating, identifying,
and commenting on the multiplicity of the images and depictions of
women's roles in Puranic traditions, the author highlights their
lives and experiences over time, both within and outside the
traditional confines of the domestic sphere. With a focus on five
Mahapuranas that deal extensively with the social matrix Visnu,
Markandeya Matsya, Agni, and Bhagavata Puranas, the book explores
the question of gender and agency in early India and shows how such
identities were recast, invented, shaped, constructed, replicated,
stereotyped, and sometimes reversed through narratives. Further, it
traces social consequences and contemporary relevance of such
representations in marriage, adultery, ritual, devotion, worship,
fasts, and pilgrimage. This volume will be of interest to
researchers and scholars in women and gender studies, ancient
Indian history, religion, sociology, literature, and South Asian
studies, as also the informed general reader.
General
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