# Manusmriti Codifies Dharma (c. 100 CE)

URL: https://allhistories.com/hinduism/timeline/100-manusmriti-codifies-dharma
Location: North India
Themes: Society

The Manusmriti, also called Manava Dharmashastra, is a Sanskrit law code in about 2,700 verses, composed between roughly the 2nd century BCE and 3rd century CE. It sets out rules for varna, stages of life (ashrama), marriage, inheritance, ritual and kingship, and assigns different duties and rights by class and gender. It became one of the most cited Hindu legal texts, studied by British administrators, and remains controversial for its hierarchical and patriarchal provisions.

## Why it matters
Manusmriti is the best known Dharmashastra and a central, contested source on caste, gender and law in Hindu history and later colonial legal practice.

Paramount Power at the Time: [Vima Takto](https://allhistories.com/hinduism/rulers/vima-takto)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Manusmriti](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manusmriti)
- [Wikipedia — Dharmaśāstra](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharma%C5%9B%C4%81stra)