ABSTRACT
The Introduction provides historiographical perceptions to the study of women in early India. It addresses issues related to multiple facets of women and focuses on the methodology of the present work. In the context of ancient India, most of the early writings on women were heavily based on the Dharmaśāstric norms, which represented the perspectives of upper class males and legitimised the oppression and subordination of women in society. The Purāṇas, on the other hand, are more accommodating and assimilative texts which enable us to look at the textual material with a special emphasis on the socially marginalised groups, i.e., women and śūdras. The Purāṇas offer the opportunity to re-tell and re-investigate the history of these sections of society.
