The most straightforward statement in Kauṭilya’s Arthaśāstra 3.3.1: 

A woman 12 years old has reached the age for legal transactions (vyavahāra), as also
a man 16 years old.

Best,


Patrick




On Sep 4, 2020, at 5:23 PM, Sundari Johansen Hurwitt via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Hi all,

I am looking for sources that explore the age at which a girl traditionally becomes an adult woman (meaning, she transitions into defacto adulthood by the standards of the time) in Hindu culture, prior to the 19th century. I'm already aware of the Indian Penal Code setting the age of consent for marriage for girls at 10 years old in 1860, and the history following that.

In particular I'm looking for primary and/or secondary literature that mention bodily processes, rites of passage, age, or other markers of that transition to adulthood. 

Many thanks!
-sundari



--

Sundari Johansen Hurwitt
sundari.johansen@gmail.com
sjohansen@ciis.edu
she/her


_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)
This message is from an external sender. Learn more about why this <<
matters at https://links.utexas.edu/rtyclf.                        <<