Before Indra Devi: The Forgotten History of Women in Indian Yoga and Philosophy

Yesterday, after a deep practice session in our Advanced Yoga Teacher Training, a group of students stayed back, curious and reflective. One of them remarked, “Isn’t it true that women started practicing Yoga only in the last century - like from the time of Indra Devi?” Others nodded in agreement, assuming there is no females in Yoga before Indra Devi.

That’s when I realized - this is a common misconception. Many believe that women in India were always excluded from Yoga and spiritual learning, and that their participation began only in modern times, influenced by figures like Indra Devi in the 20th century.

But this could not be further from the truth.

The feminine presence in Yoga, Veda, and philosophical life in India is ancient, profound, and well-recorded - and far older than any colonial or contemporary narrative. I thought I must write down this conversation, not just for my students, but for anyone who has inherited a diluted understanding of our spiritual past.

No Witch Hunts Here: A Stark Contrast with Medieval Europe

Europe’s history during the Middle Ages is drenched in the persecution of women. Thousands were burned at the stake, drowned, tortured - often for merely being healers, midwives, or independent women. The Witchcraft Acts and the Inquisition created a culture of fear that silenced the feminine voice for centuries.

In India, we never had a Witchcraft Act. No “heretic” women were tortured for practicing medicine or praying in a different way. Women who sought spiritual knowledge were not punished - they were encouraged, debated, and remembered in our scriptures.

This is not to say women in India had perfect equality. But suppression was never institutionalized in the same brutal, codified way as it was in the West.

The Vedic Age: Where Women Were Seers, Scholars, and Saints

The Vedic period (roughly 1500–500 BCE) is an astounding testament to female empowerment.

We had the Rishikas/Yoginis who composed hymns in the Rig Veda. Some of these include:

• Ghosha

• Apala

• Lopamudra

• Sikata

• Visvavara

• Angirasi Sarasvati

• Yami Vaivasvati

• Indrani

• Urvasi

These were not symbolic names but spiritual contributors whose mantras appear in our oldest scriptures.

Scriptural texts such as the Ashvalayana Grhyasutra (3.4.4) and Shankhayana Grhyasutra (4.10) list women like Sulabha Maitreyi and Vadava Prathiteyi as Vedic teachers - clear historical proof of a time when female education in Vedas was not taboo but mainstream.

The Brahmavadinis: Women as Practicing Scholars

We find a special category of women in the Vedic tradition called Brahmavadinis - women who took vows of celibacy and dedicated their lives to spiritual studies.

These women:

• Underwent Upanayana Samskara (initiation)

• Practiced Agnihotra (fire rituals)

• Studied the Vedas (Veda Adhyayana) daily

• Received private tutelage due to physiological needs, but followed the same path as male Brahmacharins

Unlike what modern assumptions may suggest, their role was not merely ornamental or domestic. Their quest was liberation (moksha) - and society respected that pursuit.

Please read more here: The Lost Legacy of Yoginis

Women in the Ashrama System: All Four Paths Open

The ashrama system (Brahmacharya, Grihastha, Vanaprastha, Sannyasa) was not male-exclusive.

Examples:

• Gargi attained self-realization in the Brahmacharya stage.

• Chudala became enlightened while being a Grihasthini (householder).

• Maitreyi reached realization in the Vanaprastha stage.

• Sulabha became a bhikshuni and was a renowned Mahabharata scholar.

There was no bar on spiritual freedom. The feminine path was just as sacred as the masculine.

Historical Figures Who Break the Narrative

We often forget that Indian history is replete with women who led, ruled, and shaped culture:

Queen Naiki Devi

A 12th-century queen of Gujarat who defeated Muhammad Ghori in the Battle of Kayadara. Naiki Devi was a widowed mother but led her army like a seasoned general.

Rani Rudramma Devi

A powerful monarch of the Kakatiya dynasty. She was not a figurehead but a ruler in her own right, wearing male garments and title to command authority.

Avvaiyar, Nachchellaiyar, and Kakkaipadiniyar

Female scholars from the Sangam era (600 BCE–300 CE) whose poetry and philosophy enriched Tamil literature.

Rishi Patnis (Wives of Sages)

Far from being passive supporters, women like Anasuya, Arundhati, Romasa, and Vasukra Patni were co-practitioners in spiritual sadhana, often guiding their husbands and students alike.

What Changed? The Onset of Medieval Decline

From the 12th century onward, we begin to see a gradual erosion of women's autonomy. But this was not due to some sudden rise in patriarchy within Indian culture - it was due to external pressures and internal collapse:

1. Invasions and Security Concerns

Foreign invasions brought systematic violence against women—rape, abductions, and killings. In response, communities began to overprotect women, often withdrawing them from public life and education.

2. Economic Decline

Constant warfare led to poverty. When resources were limited, families prioritized educating boys who were seen as future breadwinners.

3. Colonial Loot and Misrepresentation

British colonization added the final blow. Our indigenous education system was dismantled. Macaulay’s reforms replaced Sanskrit gurukulas with English schools aimed at creating low-rank male clerks. Women's education, already weakened, practically vanished from public life.

The feminine voice was silenced not by Vedic culture, but by socio-political trauma.

Before Indra Devi; Let’s Not Misplace the Lens

Western feminism often assumes a universal structure of oppression. But India's history doesn't quite fit that mould.

To say women in India were treated "like in the West" is not only misleading - it’s historically shallow. From Sita to Sulabha, from Meera Bai to Vyomika Singh, Indian women have never lacked presence. The last 800 years may not be our brightest period, but it’s an exception, not the norm.

Read: 9 Yoginis that everyone should know.

The Way Forward: Reclaim, Don’t React

As modern yoga practitioners and teachers, it is our responsibility to remember - not just revise - our roots.

The feminine in Yoga was never absent. It was always dancing at the center - whether in the form of Devi, the philosophical clarity of Gargi, or the fierce resolve of Rani Naiki Devi.

Let us not seek permission from history to rise. Let us reclaim what was always ours - not as a fight for equality, but as a return to authenticity.