Women in society

In the 10th century, an Arab writer, Abu Zaidu-l Hasan, noted that Indian princes let their women be seen at court by everyone: "No veil conceals them from the eye of the visitor."

From the 12th century, things changed. During invasions and wars, women and children were captured and sold as slaves in the markets of West and Central Asia. Some women chose jauhar (death rather than capture).

To protect women, their public life shrank, and purdah (Persian for curtain or veil) spread in some regions.

Notice the limits. Veiling was mostly in north India, with little sign of it elsewhere. Even there, the veil was often draped around the head, not over the face.

A few royal women still acted in public:

• Razia Sultan, the first and only woman ruler of the Delhi Sultanate, led armies, founded places of learning in Delhi, chose officials by merit, and appeared at court without a veil, speaking to the public directly. These bold acts fed the plot that ended her rule.
• Nur Jahan, wife of Emperor Jahangir, issued royal orders, attended court meetings, and had coins made in her name.

In south India, the chapter says, things largely did not change. Elite women kept using power, making grants, and influencing political decisions. Carvings on the walls at Hampi show women in public life.

Fernão Nunes, a Portuguese visitor to Vijayanagara, listed women at the king's court who:

• wrestled;
• were astrologers;
• wrote all the accounts of the kingdom's spending and affairs;
• played music and sang.

Women linked to the royal family were educated and skilled in the arts; some were poets.

Many inscriptions record gifts to temples by queens and rich women, sometimes whole villages, with part of the crop going to the temple. Women also had community halls and wells built, for public use.