WOMEN IN ANCIENT INDIA 2500-250 B.C.E.I. HISTORY OF INDIAA. GEOGRAPHY OF INDIA1. HIMALAYAS IN NORTH - HIGHEST MOUNTAINS IN WORLD2. NUMEROUS RIVERS COMING FROM MOUNTAINS3. MOST IMPORTANTa. INDUS - FATHER OF INDIAb. GANGES - MOTHER OF INDIA4. NORTHERN RIVER BASINS WATERED BY SEASONAL MONSOONS5. OTHER DISTINCT GEOGRAPHIC FEATURESa. THAR DESERT IN NORTHWESTb. PUNJAB AREA OF MORE MODERATE CLIMATEc. DECCAN - DESERTd. WESTERN & EASTER GHATS(1) HEAVY FORESTED COAST LINESe. MALABAR COAST(1) RAINFALL HEAVY(2) WHERE SPICES FROMf. SURROUNDED BY 3 MAJOR BODIES OF WATER(1) INDIAN OCEAN(2) ARABIAN SEA(3) BAY OF BENGAL B. RECONSTRUCTION OF HISTORY 1. PRESENTS FORMIDABLE PROBLEMS AS NO WRITTEN LANGUAGE FOR EARLIEST CENTURIES LIKE NEAR EAST & CHINA2. EARLIEST WRITTEN SOURCES RELIGIOUS IN NATUREa. WHETHER PRESCRIPTIVE OR DESCRIPTIVE PROBLEMATIC3. INDIA NOT BROUGHT UNDER 1 RULER UNTIL ASHOKA IN MAURYAN EMPIRE C. 3RD. C. B.C.E.4. AFTER BREAKDOWN OF THIS EMPIRE IN NEXT GENERATION, NO EQUALLY STRONG CENTRAL GOVT ESTABLISHED UNTIL 4TH C. A.C.E.5. INDIA THEREFORE HAS MANY LANGUAGES, RELIGIOUS BELIEFS, GEOGRAPHICAL DIVERSITY & HISTORYII. WOMEN IN INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION 2500-1500 B.C.E.A. INTRODUCTION TO CIVILIZATION1. EARLIEST CIVILIZATION IN INDUS RIVER VALLEYSa. IN PUNJAB AREA(1) NOW NW INDIA & PAKISTANb. IN SIND AREA(1) NOW GUJARAT IN INDIA2. DARK-SKINNED INDIGNEOUS PEOPLE3. SITES ONLY DISCOVERED THIS LAST CENTURY4. YET CIVILIZATION LASTED 1000 YEARS5. WRITING NOT YET DECIPHEREDB. STRUCTURE OF CIVILIZATION1. APPEARS TO BE SOPHISTICATED & HIGHLY ORGANIZEDa. AGRICULTURE & TRADING CULTUREb. KNOWN TO HAVE TRADED WITH MESOPOTAMIAc. WIDE NETWORK OF IMPORTS & EXPORTS2. IRRIGATION SYSTEM3. STANDARD WEIGHTS & MEASURES4. STANDARIZED BRICKS FOR BUILDING5. SEWER SYSTEMS UNDERGROUND EVEN WITH MANHOLE COVERS6. RITUAL BATHING AREAS7. OBSESSION WITH CLEANLINESS & PURIFICATIONa. STILL IMPORTANT PART OF HINDU CULTURE8. EACH HOME HAD BATHROOM9. OVER 70 CITIESa. MANY MORE TOWNS & VILLAGESb. ABANDONED NOW10. MAJOR CITIESa. MOHENJO-DARO(1) TRADED DIRECTLY WITH SUMERIAN CIVILIZATIONb. HARAPPAN(1) BY 2300 B.C.E. HAD 35,000 PEOPLEc. LOTHALC. RELIGION OF INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION1. WORSHIPPED FORMS OF MOTHER-GODDESS DEVI2. WORSHIPPED SHIVAa. LORD OF THE DANCEb. HE BOTH GIVER & DESTROYER OF LIFE IN LATER HINDUPANTHEON3. ART FORM OF SOMEONE IN YOGI POSITION4. IMAGES OF GODDESSES PROVIDED MODEL FOR FIGURES RECURRING FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARSD. DOWNFALL OF INDUS CIVILIZATION1. ORIGINALLY THOUGHT DUE TO INVASION OF INDO-EUROPEANS ARYANS2. BUT NOW THOUGHT DUE TO NATURAL CAUSES OF EARTHQUAKES & SILTING UP OF RIVERS & HEAVY FLOODING3. COURSE OF INDUS & GHAGGER & HAKRA RIVERS CHANGED DRASTICALLY & SUDDENLYIII. WOMEN IN ARYAN CULTURE OR VEDIC AGE 1500-500 B.C.EA. INTRODUCTION1. AS FEW ARTIFACTUAL EVIDENCE OUR KNOWLEDGE OF ARYANS COMES PRIMARILY FROM THEIR RELIGIOUS WRITINGSa. THE VEDAS2. THEY LEFT NO CITIES LIKE HARAPPAIV. WOMEN IN VEDIC AGE OR ARYAN AGEA. ARYANS1. CAME TO INDIAN IN C 1500 B.C.E.2. INDO-EUROPEAN SPEAKING (SANSCRIT) 3. ENTERED INDIA VIA HINDU KUSH4. NOMADIC, CATTLE-RAISING PEOPLE5. EVENTUALLY WILL SETTLE GANGIC PLAINS26. THEIR RELIGION WILL DEVELOP INTO HINDUISMa. BUT PROBABLY AMALGAMATION OF INDIGNEOUS BELIEFS & THEIR OWNb. WHEN MALE GODS TOOK OVER SUPREMACY FROM FEMALE GODDESSESB. SOURCES FOR WOMEN1. RELIGIOUS WRITINGSa. VEDAS - RIG VEDA, UPANISHADS,2. LAW CODES - LAW OF MANU3. EPICS - MAHABHARATA, RAMAYANA4. VEDAS FORM EARLIEST & MOST AUTHORITATIVE SCRIPTURALCORPUS FOR HINDUSa. DATING FROM 1500-500 B.C.E5. BROUGHT WITH THEM INDO-EUROPEAN TRADITION OFa. PATRILINEAL & PATRILOCAL FAMILY6. GOALS OF LIFEa. PRESERVATION OF MALE DOMINANCE & ARYAN IDENTITYb. DESIRE FOR PROGENY, PROSPERITY & LONGEVITY7. RELIGIOUS RITUALS TO ACHIEVE ABOVE GOALSa. BASED PRIMARILY ON FAMILY8. WOMEN AS WIFE & MOTHER IMPORTANT TO THOSE GOALSV. ROLE OF HINDUISM IN ESTABLISHING WOMEN'S ROLE IN ANCIENT INDIAA. FACETS OF HINDUISM1. KARMA2. DHARMA3. REINCARNATION4. CASTE SYSTEMB. SPECIFIC ROLE OF WIVES IN RITUALS1. HUSBAND AS PATRIARCHAL HEAD WOULD HAVE BEEN IN CHARGE OF RITUALS2. SOME SAY WOMEN SILENT PARTNERS IN VEDIC RITUALS3. BUT OTHERS THINK OTHERWISE4. FOR UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES COULD GODS BE LEFT UNATTENDED & IGNORED5. SO IF WIFE ALONE IN HOUSE SHE ASSUMED RITUAL ROLE OF HOST TO GODS6. HER USUAL JOB TO TEND HOUSEHOLD FIREa. NEVER ALLOWED TO GO OUTVI. GODDESSESA. GENERAL REMARKS1. NUMEROUS GODDESSES B. SARASWATI1. CONSORT TO BRAHMAa. ONCE MIGHTIEST OF HINDU GODS(1) SET WORLD IN MOTION(2) LOST NB WITH EMERGENCE OF SHIVA & VISNUA2. SHE RIDES WHITE SWAN3. GODDESS OF LEARNING, ELOQUENCE, KNOWLEDGE4. HELD IN SPECIAL ESTEEM BY STUDENTS, WRITERS, MUSICIANS35. SHE CREATED FRUITS OF CIVILIZATIONa. 1ST ALPHABETb. ARTSc. MATHEMATICSd. MUSICe. MAGIC6. MANY CONSIDER HER MOTHER OF ALL LIFE SINCE IT WAS HERDIVINE ENERGY UNITED WITH AWARENESS OF BRAHMAC. PARVATI1. SHIVA'S WIFE2. IN HER INCARNATIONS SHE IS a. DURA - 10 ARMED GODDESS OF BATTLEb. OR KALI - MORE LATERD. LAKSMI1. WIFE OF VISHNU (THE PRESERVER, ALSO KRISHNA & RAMA, (SITA'S HUSBAND)2. OFTEN SHOWN SEATED ON LOTUS3. GODDESS OF GOOD FORTUNE, PROSPERITY, WEALTH & BEAUTY4. SHE REPRESENTS ALL THAT IS FEMININE5. WHILE HER CONSORT VISHNUa. REPRESENTS ALL THAT IS MASCULINE6. ALSO WORSHIPED AS SITAa. INCARNATION OF PERFECT WIFEE. DURGA1. WARRIOR GODDESS2. ONE OF AVATARS OF DEVI3. SHE IS INVINCIBLE IN BATTLEF. GODDESS DEVI AS SHAKTI1. LIKE HER PALEOLITHIC ANCESTOR DEVI-SHAKTIa. LESS ANTHROPOMORPHIC THAN CONCEPTUAL2. ESSENCE OF BEING3. ENERGY OF COSMOS THAT GIVES ETERNITY4. VERYTHING COMES FROM HER5. SHE IS SINGLE SOURCE OF ENERGY OF ALL THAT HAPPENS & EVER WILL HAPPEN6. ONE GREAT MOTHERG. KALI 1. MOST TERRIBLE ASPECT OF DEVI2. KALI SENT TO EARTH TO DESTROY RACE OF DEMONSa. BUT CAUSED SUCH DEVASTATION MANY DIED3. TO BRING END TO SLAUGHTER HER HUSBAND SHIVA THREW HIMSELF UPON DEAD BODIES4. ONLY WHEN KALI REALIZED SHE TRAMPLING ON SHIVA'S CORPSE DID SHE COME TO HER SENSES5. KALI OFTEN DEPICTED AS BLACK GODDESS6. HER TEETH ARE BLOOD-STAINED FANGS7. RIVERS OF BLOOD FLOW FROM HER8. SHE IS CREATIVE & DESTRUCTIVE FORCE9. IN INDIA TODAY BLOODY SACRIFICES STILL MADE TO HER a. KALIGHAT TEMPLE IN CALCUTTAb. CALCUTTA NAMED FOR HER4VII. MARRIAGE & FAMILY CUSTOMSA. ROLES OF MAIDEN & BRIDE1. MUCH OF IDEAL ROLE OF WOMANa. CAN BE LEARNED FROM IMAGES OF MAIDEN & BRIDE2. IN RIG VEDA DAUGHTER & MAIDEN PRAISED FOR THEIRa. BEAUTYb. APPEALING ADORNMENTc. AMPLE HIPS3. THIS DESCRIPTION SUGGESTSa. INTEREST IN FEMININE SENSUALITYb.