The Position of Women in Hindu Civilisation, from Prehistoric Times to the Present Day c10.s3.2

c10.s3.2

We have seen above that both Niyoga and remarriage were permitted to the widow down to *c.* 500 A. D. The custom of tonsure could obviously have not arisen upto that time. Among the duties of widows which are described at great length in early Smṛitis, the shaving of the head does never figure. Some authorities interdict the decoration of the hair¹; this shows that the hair was there on the head and was not shaved. The widowed daughters-in-law of Dhṛitarāshṭra are expressly described in the epic as having the hair on the head decently arranged¹. There was clearly no tonsure in vogue. Epigraphic evidence shows that during widowhood, the curly hair of women used to become straight²; this shows that only the oiling of hair was stopped. It is thus clear from the above data that widows used to keep their hair, but they were not allowed to oil, decorate or arrange them in any luxurious or fashionable manner.