Beautiful women have always been cherished the world over. India too, had legendary beauties such as the mythical celestial nymphs Urvashi and Menaka (who drove the gods insane with their beauty).

Queen Mumtaz Mahal (in whose memory her husband Emperor Shah Jahan built the world's most magnificent tomb, the Taj Mahal) and more recently, in the mid-twentieth century, Maharani (Gayatri Devi of Jaipur) rumored at the time to be among the ten most beautiful women in the world) have been at the heart of stories of great romance and history.

Women of modern India have never been far behind as far as manifestation of beauty is concerned. Not only they have carried forward the legacy and precedent set by their predecessors but also have been adding new laurels to Indian beauty scene at the world stages. Winning of world beauty contests (Miss Universe and Miss World) by them year after year in recent times is testimony to this fact.

Indian women have always been encouraged to make the most of their looks with natural traditional cosmetics and herbs. Even in Vedic times, Sanskrit texts laid down the concept of Sola Singaar or the sixteen traditional accoutrements with which every woman could adorn herself.
Beauty is not the only aspect of Indian women to be proud of. Their other aspects of life are equally rich and full of substance; whether it's socio-political life, economic contribution or overall national development, their responsibility has not only been imperative but also commendable. But surprisingly, general perception of world regarding Indian women has been victim of some misconception. Some of the customs found in ethnic women seems to be very conservative and not in sync with the modern women.

But all these customs have substantial justifiable basis. Take The case of Sati Pratha (wife's self immolation at the funeral of husband). This custom was not an inherent cultural trait in ancient India. When foreign invaders came to this country, the women were forced to burn themselves in order to keep their chastity intact, which was threatened by the invaders after killing their husbands.

So any custom and tradition of Indian women must be avoided from being misconstrued. They are not a bit behind any other nationals in any field of life. Add to this their exclusive virtues of love, care and passion Indian women stand a class apart.