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I was wondering whether the scriptures mention any special classification for female warriors. The general classification of rathi, maharathi, etc... are applied generally to warriors as seen in this wiki article. But the absence of any women in the list and the presence of women warriors in the two epics (Ramayana and Mahabharata) raises the question whether they were given a special classification or the same applied to them?

Also, are there any special titles which had been awarded to any of the female warriors?

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  • There were some female Rākṣasī-s like Tātaka and Śūrpaṇakhā in Rāmāyaṇa who attacked Rāma, but not sure if they qualify as 'warriors' :D The human women in those times mostly stayed at home and let their husbands (Kings, Ṛṣi-s etc.) do their job. They did not attempt to go out and display any kṣatriya-like qualities :) Now if your question is an Indian history related one like Rani of Jhansi, that maybe off-topic for this site.
    – Say No To Censorship
    Commented Dec 16, 2016 at 19:51
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    Well, there was kaikeyi...Satyabhama...Uloopi, the snake warrior princess You could even include...Shikhandhi even... I'm sure there are many obscure ones too, if we look closely...
    – user96551
    Commented Dec 17, 2016 at 6:31
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    BTW, you could make your question more useful by re-framing it as: 1) Were there any female warriors in Hindu epics 2) If yes, did they have any special titles or just same as men?
    – Say No To Censorship
    Commented Dec 17, 2016 at 6:41
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    @user96551 1) There were forms of mother Durga. They fought with Bhandasura and his army. They didn't fight with magical powers like they show in the movies. You could check the details on the internet. 2) "Satyabhama killed Narakasura." This is a myth. She only asked Krishna to kill Narakasura. 3)Shikhandi was a woman but changed to man in the kurukshetra war. She hid her identity during wars (not sure though).
    – Sarvabhouma
    Commented Dec 19, 2016 at 3:31
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    There is Viśpálā mentioned in Ṛg Veda, who lost her leg in war. But as some others have said, female warriors (who are manuṣyas) is not the norm. Durgā and her rūpas are Devīs, so their case is quite different. However, this doesn't imply that women were not versed with war-strategy, martial arts and warfare. And this why, there are women like Kaikeyī.
    – Bingming
    Commented Feb 19 at 20:58

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Satyabhama was a warrior and assisted Krishna in battle against Naraka -

"Satya, the wife of the wielder of Sarnga, pierced Naraka with sharp narachas, crescent-shaped arrows and with bhallas. Satya tormented Naraka as the truth torments liars. Seeing her fighting thus, Narka attacked her between her breasts with sharp arrows and shot between her arms six fast-flying arrows and on her sides with seven arrows. Satyabhama then became furious and with a very sharp arrow chopped the evil Naraka's bow into two. The powerful Satyabhama then chopped into pieces his flag and flagpole too, as well as his umbrella, his chariot and horses. The mighty Danava then picked up another powerful bow and Satyabhama chopped that too into two, and when he picked up bows one after the other, Satya broke them all into pieces.Then the angry Danava picked up a mighty mace and hurled it at her as Krishna watched. She saw the mace approaching and broke it into smithereens. Then Naraka picked up a sakti and began to attack her with it. The devi, Krishna's dear wife Satyabhama, then broke that too into smithereens and laughed aloud. Then picking up a parigha, Naraka then attacked her by hurling it at her. Satya in reply attacked the Danava with sharp arrows and pierced his body with them. Krishna then praised his dear wife Satyabhama pleasing her, as did the Gods and holy sages, all standing in the skies. Devi Satyabhama, Lord Krishna's Shakti, then with an arrow separated the head of Naraka's charioteer from his body. Krishna, the Glorious One, then became delighted and hugged her and wiped off the perspiration on her born of battle strain."

  • Appendix 28 A, Harivamsa, Mahabharata, BORI.
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