Hindu women seem to have been allowed access to education until about 200 BCE. The main subject of study was the Vedic literature, and both sexes were drilled in the repetition of passages from the sacred writings. In fact, some of the hymns in the Rig Veda were composed by women.

There are twenty-three known sage-poetesses, called Rishikas or Brahmavadinis. These female sages were allowed to recite Vedic prayers and perform sacrifices. Neither males nor females could do this without having first undergone the Upanayana, or Vedic initiation, an important aspect of which was education in the sacred literature. These women often married their fellow male students after their education was completed, though some remained single all their lives.

The Artha Veda specifically mention maidens training under the Brahmacharya discipline, and the Sutras of Panini from the 5th century BCE tell us there were hostels called Chatrisala for female students at the Vedic schools or Charanas.

Buddhist nuns also apparently received an education, as there is an entire collection of poems in Buddhist scripture attributed to early nuns.


sources: Basham, A.L. The Wonder That Was India. New York: Grove Press, Inc., 1959.
Education in Ancient India