RIGHT OF INHERITANCE OF HINDU WOMENIN ANCIENT INDIA: ANALYSIS OF “STRIDHAN” IN ANCIENT HINDU TEXTS

Abstract

The right to property is particularly important because, in a patriarchal culture, women's conditions are much pitiful due to financial insecurity. The legal right of Hindu women to inherit property has been restricted in Indian culture since ancient times. Hindu women were refused legal rights to inherit ancestral and marital property in patriarchal societies. The sole property which they were entitled to receive was ‘Stridhan’. The situation of women was alleviated with the establishment of several schools, and she was granted more rights in some domains. As time progressed, numerous legislations were adopted, resulting in the removal of hurdles and a trend toward more equality in the sphere of Hindu women's property rights. Rights of women in ancient Indian laws have been dealt with in this article.