ABSTRACT
Women’s lives in Hinduism are intricately bound with patriarchal social structures and various beliefs, superstitions, myths, customs, traditions, and other religious practices. Religious rituals and practices legitimize patriarchal values playing an important role in controlling women’s sexuality, and self-expression, perpetuating subordination and internalization of the stereotyped roles and attitudes by women. The notion of “impurity” or “pollution” based on physical processes like menstruation, childbirth, and widowhood leads to conditioned reflexes (psychological) and restriction of women’s space and human rights. This case study deals with the hindrances posed by Hinduism in imparting human rights to women, both in public and in private spheres. It is the private sphere where religion plays a significant role, the implications of which are also visible in the public sphere.
