Women outside the family circle

This chapter makes a unique and significant departure from the rigid and conventional perception of women in the Purāṇas. Some of the main issues addressed in this chapter bring out the complexities woven around women’s question and help us to understand how women contested for their spaces within the brahmanical framework. The chapter examines various issues related to women, like inherent impurity, menstruation, taboos, and adultery, which clearly indicate that whether women were in the domestic sphere or outside the family circle had to struggle to carve out a niche for themselves.