Browsing /r/india today I see there are many posts about incidents of rape, particularly where the perpetrators get away with it.

There's also a general perception i've observed on reddit (and other places as well I assume) of india being a place where sexual assault is a widespread problem.

I understand the rule about not discussing anything within the last 25 years. My question is about the history of sexual assault and its perception in the history of india, both post-independence in the modern nation of india, and pre-independence in the subcontinent at large (colonial, mughal, pre-mughal, etc)

I understand that covers a lot of time and space, so specify about specific eras and regions if you'd like.

In short, how common has sexual assault been and, perhaps more interestingly, how has it been perceived throughout the history of India, both by indians and oustiders (like the british during the colonial period). Is the belief in a widespread issue of sexual assault a recent phenomena in india?