Ahilya was the consort of Sage Gautam. She was made by Brahma and was surreal beautiful. Indra, the king of natural forces, had lecherous dreams about her. Once sun and moon assisted Indra in confusing Gautam that it is morning (while it was night). Unable to bear the pangs of love any more, Indra decided to attain the woman of his heart by subterfuge. Indra convinced the moon to take the form of a cock and wake up Gautama Rishi much before dawn... While Gautam was away for morning ablutions, Indra, disguised as Gautam and stealthily entered the hut, approached Ahilya and proposed sexual desires in front of her.
He demanded of Ahalya to make love to him. Ahalya, being the consort of a powerful yogi, had spiritual powers and was able to see that he who stood in front of her was not her yogi husband, but the king of gods Indra himself.
However, it flattered her that the great deva found her so charming that he ran the risk of being condemned by the worlds and yet came to her asking her for her love. She smiled at him, too pleased to refuse him his inappropriate request. Indra, taking advantage, further seduced her, using sweet lines in praise of her exquisite form. She gave in and the two committed the sin. After this act of romantic consummation was performed, however, Ahalya regained her senses and she asked Indra to leave immediately.
Then the sage condemned his wife. "Fie on you, Ahalya! Your vanity led you into committing such a grave error. May you lose the form you are so proud of and subsist only on air. Surviving in such a manner, may you become invisible to the world, meriting no more importance than an ordinary rock, for ages to come. Not unless Vishnu himself decides to set foot in this ashrama may you be redeemed."
The sage who realised Ahilya's sinful attempt did not gave a chance to explain for the trangression she had committed. Her honour and chastity were under question.
The character of Ahalya is the eternal woman who responds to her inner urges and the advances of the divine ruler - a direct contrast to her ascetic husband, who did not satisfy her carnal desires. Ahalya as an independent woman who makes her own decisions, takes risks and is driven by curiosity to experiment with the extraordinary and then accept the curse imposed on her by a patriarchal society. It is this undaunted acceptance of the curse that makes The Ramayana praise and venerate her.
Modern women will ask weather is it right to condemn physical encounters as modern afflictions and against our righteous behaviour . They will not accept that Ahilya was cursed for her sinful attempt .They will always blame the sage Gautama’s who realised all that had transpired between Ahilya and Indira in his absence.