Indian history experience various kinds of changes in the social status of Hindu women during the five centuries of Muslim regime-right from the reign of Qutb-ud-din Aibak, the real founder of the Turkish dominion in India to that of Aurangzenb, the last of the Great Moghuls (1206-1707 A.D.). Dr. (Mrs.) Kamala Gupta has given a detailed authentic account of the varied facets of social status of Hindu women in Medieval India especially the Northern India. Her research work prepared with painstaking labour is based on the contemporary Indian vernacular literatures in Hindi, Rajasthani, Maithili, Bengali, Oriya, Assamese and Gujarati. Important and striking aspects of the Hindu women’s society which was greatly moulded by the profound impact of Muslim society and culture which have been recapitulated in the book are; the institutions of female infanticide and very early marriage, dowry, divorce, polygamy, polyandry, harem-life, art of culinary, costumes, gowns, purdah, toilets, various ornaments, from head to foot, pastimes, pilgrimages, Hindu women’s proficiency in fine arts and paintings, life and works of some very important, educated and cultured Hindu women of royal and aristocratic families. She has elaborated the pitiable position o Hindu widows; practices of Sati and Jauhar and also presented a very interesting study of status and important role of public women, prostitutes and dancers (Nartakis) and Devadasis in ancient period as well as in the Muslim period. Exhaustive Bibliography and precious footnotes meticulously prepared by the authoress has enormously enhanced the academic value of this book. This book would prove very useful not only to the advanced research scholars in the domain of social and cultural life but also to scholars and students interested in the historical novel and sociology of the Hindu women of the said period.
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