Women and Religion

Contents: Preface. 1. Distinguished men and women in Jainism. 2. Position of women in Tamil Nadu. 3. The revolt of women in the West. 4. Foreign women in the Indian Independence. 5. Women in India's freedom movement. 6. Women in the struggle of Bolivian Tin-Mining communities. 7. Jain Goddesses and trantricism in Karnataka. 8. Sanskrit poetesses Vijja and Morika. 9. Towards progress and freedom. 10. Sanskrit poetess Ramabai. 11. Women as Goddess. 12. From the great Goddess to Kala. 13. Sister Nivedita. 14. Maharani Jijabai. 15. The women's movement. 16. Women struggle. 17. Women leaders. Bibliography. Index. Women in general occupied a high position in society and enjoyed great respect. The initiative, courage and leadership women displayed in the political movement towards national independence or liberation from colonial rule assured them a ready and abiding place in India's new resurgent life. An essential requisite for the proper understanding of the position of women in a given epoch is to study the problem not in an isolated manner but in the context of the material culture of the society concerned. Indian scholars have generally noted with deep satisfaction and pride that the condition of women in the Vedic age was much better than that of the women in other primitive communities or in ancient Greece. (jacket)