Ancient Indian Colonies in the Far East (Vol. I: Champa; Vol. II: Suvarnadvipa) v2.c20.s1.73

v2.c20.s1.73

But while the Javanese law gave means to a wife to regain her independence, the husband seems to have complete domination over her so long as she remains in his family. The head of the family is to keep a strict vigilance on women, slaves, and children, and can even chastise them for doing wrong by a cane or a wooden stick. But he must not strike them on the head, otherwise he should be fined by the king (131). This is obviously a leaf taken out of Manu’s book (*cf.* VIII. 299, 300). The dominance of the husband is also manifest from the following :—