DIP: 18.02.003/20261104 
DOI: 10.25215/2455/1104003 
Abstract
The Purāṇic texts (written between 300CE-1100CE) are one of the most important collections of ancient Indian religious texts and social texts. These texts teach values, ideas and rules of society that everyone must follow and behavior of the family. The study examines the representation of the woman in the Purāṇic literature as it considers women in the roles of wife, mother, daughter and widow in the family. It explores five main Mahāpurāṇas (Viṣṇu Purāṇas, Matsya Purāṇas, Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇas, Agni Purāṇas and Bhāgavata Purāṇas) to illustrate the evolution of the concept of ideal woman, who was given specific duties and restrictions, while having specific areas of freedom. The analysis reveals that, there are two perspectives from the literature: the one is that women are superior and other is that women are inferior, and they are endowed with spiritual power however are constrained in the society.
The author(s) appreciates all those who participated in the study and helped to facilitate the research process. 
The author(s) declared no conflict of interest. 
ISSN 2455-670X