There are five Kanyaa in Hindu mythology - Ahalyaa (the wife of Sage Gautam), Draupadee (the wife of Paandav), Kuntee (the wife of Paandu), Taaraa (the wife of Vaanar King Baali), and Mandodaree (the wife of Raakshas Raaj Raavan). The Panch Kanyaa are supposed to represent five elements (Panch Bhoot) of Nature. Legend has it that all of an individual's sins are washed of simply by uttering the name of these Panch Kanyaa.

Panch Kanyaa Shlok
Ahalyaa Draupadee Seetaa Taaraa Mandodaree tathaa
panch kanyaa smarennitya Mahaa Paatak takanen

Means - Ahalyaa, Draupadee, Seetaa, Taaraa and Mandodaree are Pancha Kanyaa. One should forever remember the five virgins who are the destroyers of great sins.

Among the feminine icons of Indian tradition, five epic characters stand out prominently. These are Seetaa, the heroine of the Raamaayan and the wife of King Raam of Ayodhyaa; Draupadee, the heroine of the Mahaabhaarat and the wife of the five Paandav princes; Mandodaree, the wife of Raavan, King of Lankaa; Ahalyaa, the wife of the Sage Gautam and Taaraa, the wife of Baali, the tyrant monkey king.

Panch Kanyaa Principle
As inheritors of the Panch Kanya concept for centuries, Indian women are unique, to say the least. like their icons. They have dual personalities. They are bound by the strictest norms of society on the one hand; yet on the other hand, they are left free to use the chinks in the armor of social and traditional laws made by a staunchly male-oriented order. Within the scope of social boundaries, they can still express their personalities and design their own life-graphs. The female icons set up by Indian tradition for women to follow therefore are admirable and confusing at the same time.

Each of these women is described as extraordinarily beautiful and virtuous. As a matter of fact, tradition says that their character was so strong, that no calamity could diminish their spiritual power or their worshipful places in the hearts of generations of people the world over. In fact, the five women have such a powerful hold over the hearts of millions of Indians that they are called the Panch Kanyaa (five virgins) whose very names ensure salvation and freedom from all evil. It is not uncommon for devout Hindu to recite their names each morning in a Shlok to remind them of the power they symbolized because of their purity of character and spiritual strength.