Ancient Indian texts and inscriptions reveal the complexities of the relationship of women in political power and violence, Dr. Upinder Singh, professor of History at Ashoka University, Sonepat, said here. However, normative texts such as the Arthashastra acknowledge women’s political agency, and the history of ancient India offers several examples of women who exercised power directly or indirectly, she said.
Speaking at a lecture on Women, Power and Violence: Perspectives from Ancient India organised by the Asiatic Society Library on Tuesday, Dr. Singh, daughter of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, said while patriarchy seems to be a feature of ancient societies, locating women’s problems in ancient India and contradictory statements in the sources present a problem.
“There is a close relationship between the public and political domain on the one hand and the private, personal domain of families and households on the other. Most texts are written by upper class men for upper class men – something that poses a problem in locating women’s problems in ancient India. Women’s voices are scarcely audible,” she said.
According to Dr. Singh, women were considered politically relevant figures in ancient texts by the composers of the Ramayana and Mahabharata. “In the Ramayana, Kaikeiyi is an example and in the Mahabharata, it is Draupadi who was an active participant in the debate among Pandavas as an active member of the pro-war party. Arthashastra presents women, especially royal women, as politically ambitious and active agents; as political support as well as enemies who have to be factored in the political understanding and calculations of the rulers,” she said.
Across centuries, the narratives of ancient Indian political history seem to be a history of kingdoms of empires and thrones ruled by men. However, history also gives us several instances of women breaching the glass ceiling and becoming rulers, Dr. Singh said.
Episodes of sexual violence in the political domain make the most explicit appearance in the Mahabharata and Ramayana. “In fact, it is this violence that propels these epic narratives forward. In the Mahabharata, Draupadi is often the target. In the Matsya court, a member of the royal family attempts to rape a woman he thinks is a servant. But the fact that these incidents are described in graphic detail and form an important part of the epic narratives, suggest the recognition of sexual violence against women as an important feature of the political domain,” she said.