Question

The Purdah System started in India from:
A. Vedic Period
B. Rajput Period
C. Mughal Period
D. British Period

Answer 1

Hint: Purdah, often referred to as Pardah, Hindi Parda (the "screen" or "veil"), a tradition initiated by Muslims and later adopted by Hindus, particularly in Indian, which entails isolating women from public view by clothing (including the veil). In these ladies, a piece of clothing generally known as "Dupatta" or "Ghoonghat" was placed over their face.

Complete answer:
In order to accomplish their isolation from public meeting and position, it is considered Persian to have a Purdah tradition that allows women to cover their faces and bodies. This pattern was adopted during the Middle Ages by Muslim sects who occupied India. It is believed that under Mughal rule this practice spread to Hinduism. Bringing this exercise of purdah to the Indian mainland during their conquests, the Rajputs were among the most dominant groups to be stern believers of the purdah system. In India, copying the custom and rituals of Muslim nobles by ordinary citizens is due to it.

This was largely caused by two factors:
- Firstly, because the ruling elite and the nobles practised it faithfully, it was considered a sign of honour. It percolated, but could only be afforded by the lower classes.
- Secondly, the fear of invasion and the sensual laxity and indignation by the Muslim kingdom and aristocracy of the sultanate and the Mughal times instils a feeling of vulnerability in and among Muslims.
- Elite women wore the veil as the symbol of respectability and elevated status in the ancient Mesopotamians and in the Greek and Persian Empires. A Middle Assyrian code from 1400 to 1100 BC provides for the earlier attested reference to veiling.

Therefore the correct answer is option ‘C’ .

Note:
- Purdah has taken root in the Persian culture after the Arab invasion of what is now Iraq in the 7th century AD, to be obtained by Muslims.
- Purdah or purdah is a religious and social tradition of women's reclusion that prevails among Muslims and Hindu cultures. Pardah or purdah (from Persian: »fresh«).
- It takes two forms: the physical separation of the sexes and the need for women to hide and cover their skin.