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at p. 339 stated that, "the degree in which personal immuni- ty and proprietory capacity of women are recognised in a particular state or community is a test of the degree of the advance of its civilisation. It is, therefore, clear that the esteem in which woman is held, the status occupied by her in society and the treatment meted out to her are regarded as index to the degree of civilisation and culture attained in a coun- try. Manu in his Smriti, Chapter III Verses 55 to 57 stated that where women are honoured and adorned there Gods are pleased, but where women are not honoured no sacred fire yields rewards. What is the status held by women in the Hindu society is a matter of history reflected from Vedic culture, Smrities, the Shastric law, the statutory privision and ultimately converged and recognised in the supreme law of the land, i.e. egalitarian socialist Indian Constitution. E .S. Shivaswamy lyer in his "Revolution of Hindu Women, " 1935 ,Edn. p. 64 stated that the ideals of the society as to womanhood includes not merely the relations of husband and wife or mother and children or the other intimate rela- tionship of family life, but also the notions we find about her capacity, her character, her claim to equality, inde- pendence and freedom for developing, her rights to personal ownership and control of property, to the choice of her vocation and other rights as well as duties as member of the society. Status and rights of Hindu woman fluctuated and swung like a pendulum with ups and downs from period to period starting from 4000 B.C. uptodate. However esteem for women remained constantly high in the society. In Vedic society woman enjoyed equal status economical- ly, socially and culturally with men, vide p. 335,339 and 409 of The Position of Woman in Hindu Civilization, 1955 Edn. by Altakar. He stated that initiation to education upanayanam was performed in Vedic period to the girls as well as boys. Women studied the Vedas, even composed Vedic rhymes. They participated in public life freely. Vishvavara, Apala, Lopamudra and Shashayasi are only few examples in the initial Vedic period. Thereafter Ghosha, Maitrai and Gargi occupied price of place for equality in intellectual excel- lence and equal status with men. Selfishness and male chau- vanism made woman to gradually degrade and were given no voice even in the settlement of their marriages or so on. She was denied participation in public affairs. Though Yajnavalkya was a proponent to her economic status but ultimately Manu Smriti took firm hold and in Chapter IX Verse 18, Manu stated that woman had no right to study the Vedas. Thereby, denied the right to education, fundamental human right to acquire knowledge and cultural and intellec- tual excellence. In Chapter IX Verse 149, he stated that woman must not seek. separation from father, husband or son and bondaged her for ever. In Chapter IX Verse 45, the husband was declared to be one with the wife that the wife can seek no divorce but allowed immunity to a male to dis- card an unwanted wife. All through the ages till Hindu Marriage Act was made a male was allowed polyandry. In Chapter IX Verse 4 16, he stated that a wife, a son and a slave are declared to have no property and if they happened to acquire it would belong to male under whom she is in protection. Thus she was denuded or her right to property or incentive to decent and independent living and made her a dependent only to rare children and bear the burdens. When she becomes a widow, she was declared to have only mainte- nance and if in possession of her husband's property or coparcenery, to be a widow's estate with reversionery right to the heirs of last male holder. Fidality was a condition precedent to receive maintenance. In Chapter IX Verse 299, he prescribed corporeal punishment to a wife who commits faults, should be beaten with a rope or a split bamboo. If she was murdered it was declared to be an Upapattaka that is a minor offence vide Chapter XI Verse 67. I did not adhere to literal translation but attempted to portray their sweep and deep incursion on social order. Thus laid firm founda- tion to deny a Hindu female of equality of status. opportu- nity and dignity of person with no independent right to property and made her a subservient, socially, educationally and culturally. Widows were murdered by inhuman Sati and now by bride burnings.