Given below are two statements:

Statement I: The Upanayana ceremony which marked the initiation of a child into a study of the Vedas was performed for hoys as well as for girls.

Statement II: Both boys and girls received education in 'Ashrams' and 'Gurukulas' in ancient India.

In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below

The correct answer is Both Statement I and Statement II are true.

Let us carefully analyse each statement one by one to understand why both of them are historically accurate.

Understanding Statement I:
Statement I tells us that the Upanayana ceremony — the sacred ritual that marked a child's formal initiation into Vedic learning — was performed for both boys and girls in ancient India.

This is historically supported by ancient texts. The term Upanayana literally means "bringing near" — i.e., bringing the student near the teacher (Guru). While in later periods this ceremony became largely restricted to upper-caste males, in the early Vedic period (roughly 1500–600 BCE), textual and archaeological evidence confirms that young girls also underwent this initiation and studied the Vedas.

Ancient texts such as the Atharva Veda and the writings of scholars like Panini and Patanjali make references to learned women. The existence of female scholars called Brahmavadinis (women who devoted their entire lives to learning and the study of the Vedas) — such as Gargi, Maitreyi, Lopamudra, and Apala — is direct evidence that girls too underwent the Upanayana and received Vedic education. These women participated in philosophical debates and composed Vedic hymns, which would have been impossible without formal Upanayana initiation. Hence, Statement I is true.

Understanding Statement II:
Statement II states that both boys and girls received education in Ashrams and Gurukulas in ancient India.

The Gurukula system was the primary mode of education in ancient India, where students resided in the home or hermitage of their teacher (Guru) and received holistic education covering the Vedas, philosophy, sciences, arts, and moral values. The word Gurukula itself means "the family of the Guru."

As established above, since girls like Gargi and Maitreyi underwent Upanayana and studied the Vedas, they necessarily had access to these institutions of learning. Ashrams — the forest hermitages of sages — similarly served as centres of higher learning and were open to serious students regardless of gender in the early Vedic age. Ancient literature and epics such as the Mahabharata and Ramayana also contain references to women being educated in Ashram settings. Hence, Statement II is also true.

Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:
- Both Statements are false — Incorrect, since historical evidence clearly supports both statements.
- Statement I is true but Statement II is false — Incorrect, because if girls underwent Upanayana (Statement I), they must have studied somewhere, and Ashrams/Gurukulas were the institutions of learning at that time.
- Statement I is false but Statement II is true — Incorrect, as Statement I is well-supported by Vedic sources and the existence of Brahmavadinis.

Conclusion:
Both statements are rooted in the historical reality of early Vedic India, where gender did not initially serve as a barrier to formal education. The Upanayana ceremony was indeed extended to girls, and Ashrams and Gurukulas educated both boys and girls. Therefore, Both Statement I and Statement II are true is the correct answer.