In the following passage some words have been deleted. Fill in the blanks with the help of the alternatives given.
Passage:

Women have .............(1) been held in high esteem in our country. During the Vedic period they ............(2) importantpositions in social and religious ...........(3) Without women, religious ceremonies were ...............(4) incomplete. Our mythological and philosophical writings bear witness to the fact that the tradition of having high regard for women was long .................(5)