India probably is the only nation in the world which exclusively enshrines female deities in artistically built temples. The Meenakshi temple at Madurai, Ambabai temple at Kolhapur and the Shantadurga and Mahalaxmi temples at Goa are ample proof of the Hindu reverence for female deities.

In the last decade, several international and national movements have focused their attention, on the long neglected areas of women's reproductive health.

There is a growing recognition that gynaecological morbidity is an important health problem among poor women in India.