Explore how love, marriage, and family shaped life in ancient India.
This cultural and comparative study surveys unions, household roles, and the life of women as described in classical Indian texts. With careful analysis of social norms, rituals, and moral expectations, it reveals how love, duty, and tradition intersected in everyday life. This edition presents a broad, scholarly view of marriage practices, lineage, childcare, and the status of women across different communities and time periods. It draws on a range of sources to illustrate the attitudes and laws that governed intimate relationships, family life, and social reputation.
- How marriages were formed, celebrated, and legally understood in ancient contexts
- Roles of women as mothers, wives, and members of the household
- The moral and ritual frameworks that guided sexual life and family duty
- Societal views on widowhood, fertility, and female agency across strata and eras
Ideal for readers of anthropology, history, and South Asian studies, this book offers a window into the complex social fabric of classical India.