Chastity in Ancient Indian Texts

This book looks at the representation and practice of chastity in selective ancient Indian texts. It studies how and when the concept originated and in what ways it was intertwined with the social, cultural, and economic notions of Indian society. Drawing on seminal Indian texts such as the MahāPurāṇas, Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata, Sattasaī and the Jātakas , the volume delves into the social and reproductive rights of women through an examination of the norms of chastity, virginity, and Pātivratya , w