Latest News

  • Home
  • Spiritual
  • The abolished 'Sati Pratha': Lesser-known facts on the banned practice
The abolished 'Sati Pratha': Lesser-known facts on the banned practice
Monday, May 14, 2018 IST
The abolished

The Bengal Sati Regulation which banned the Sati practice in all jurisdictions of British India was passed on December 4, 1829 by the then Governor-General Lord William Bentinck. The regulation described the practice of Sati as revolting to the feelings of human nature.
 

 
 

On the 186th anniversary of the Bengal Sati Regulation, here is all you need you need to know about the practice of Sati and facts relating to the custom:
 
Who is a Sati and what is Sati custom?
Sati, also spelled as Suttee, is a practice among Hindu communities
 
where a recently widowed woman, either voluntarily or by force, immolates herself on her deceased husband's pyre
 
The woman who immolates herself is, hence, called a Sati which is also interpreted as a 'chaste woman' or a 'good and devoted wife'
 
There have been many instances of how the widows were shunned in India and therefore, the
 
only solution for a life without husband was to practice Sati as it was considered to be the highest expression of wifely devotion to a dead husband.
 
Some lesser-known facts on the Sati practice:
Sati, or Suttee, is derived from the name of the goddess Sati, who immolated herself because she was unable to bear her father Daksha's humiliation towards her husband Shiva
 
Sati was regarded as a barbaric practice by the Islamic rulers of the Mughal period
 
In the 16th century, Humayun was the first to try a royal agreement against the practice. Akbar was next to issue official orders prohibiting Sati and since then it was done voluntarily by women. He also issued orders that no woman could commit Sati without a specific permission from his chief police officers
 
Akbar had also instructed the officers to delay the woman's decision for as long as possible
 
Many Hindu scholars have argued against Sati, calling it as 'suicide, and...a pointless and futile act'
By the end of the 18th century, the practice had been banned in territories held by some European powers
The Portuguese banned the practice in Goa by 1515
 
The Dutch and the French banned it in Hugli-Chunchura (then Chinsurah) and Pondicherry
Sati has occurred in some rural areas of India in the 21st century
 
According to some official reports, around 30 cases of Sati, from 1943 to 1987, were documented in India
 
The practice still occurs today in some parts of India and is still regarded by some as the ultimate form of womanly devotion and sacrifice.

 
 
 
 
 

Related Topics

 
 
 

Trending News & Articles

 Article
Nanda Vrata – Nanda Vrat Dedicated to Shiva – How To Observe?

Nanda Vrata is dedicated to Shiva and it is believed that Goddess Sati observed this vrat to get Shiva as her husband. It is observed during Phalgun Shukla Paksha...

Recently posted . 15K views . 3 min read
 

 Article
The mysterious Radha and her last meeting with Krishna !!!

This question has seeked me ever since I can remember ...from my childhood..in my dreams...in my realisation and my internal assimilation of Lord Krishna as my god....

Recently posted . 7K views . 1 min read
 

 Article
Lord Shiva in this form killed Lord Vishnu's avatar Narasimha!

Story of Sharabha and Narasimha   In Hinduism, the ‘trimurti’ (Gods) - Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh, are...

Recently posted . 5K views . 1 min read
 

 Article
The Lemon Message

  Have any of you realised how beneficial and helpful the lemon is when kept in a transparent glass of water, what it does? Here is the lemon ...

Recently posted . 5K views . 1 min read
 

 
 

More in Spiritual

 Article
शलमाला नदी में एक साथ बने है हज़ारों शिवलिंग, नदी की धारा स्वयं करती है अभिषेक

Shalmala river shivling History in Hindi : शलमाला नदी में एक साथ बने है हज़ारों शिवलिंग – कर्नाटक के एक शहर सिरसी में शलमाला नाम की नदी बहती...

Recently posted. 1K views . 3 min read
 

 Article
This Buddhist Temple In Thailand Is Made Completely Out Of Beer Bottles

Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew is a Buddhist temple in the Khun Han district of Sisaket province in Thailand. 

Recently posted. 647 views . 0 min read
 

 Article
Engagement & Ring Ceremony: Pre-booking the Bride and the Groom

The Engagement ceremony forms the key to a marriage and the most important pre wedding ritual. This is done to establish a confirmation between the two f...

Recently posted. 2K views . 2 min read
 

 Photo
Spiritual Destinations to Visit in India



Recently posted . 1K views
 

 Article
Retelling of the Mahabharata

Will the 2019 elections be like the battlefield of Kurukshetra, where political parties face each other as Kauravas and Pandavas did, thousands of years ago? Kuruks...

Recently posted. 710 views . 5 min read
 

 Article
Japanese town Kichijoi named after Hindu goddess Lakshmi

The name of a town near Tokyo in Japan has its origin from Hindu goddess Lakshmi. Counsel General of Japan, Takayuki Kitagawa, on Sunday said that the town &ndash...

Recently posted. 830 views . 1 min read
 

 
 
 

   Prashnavali

  Thought of the Day

“You’re off to great places. Today is your day.”
Anonymous

Be the first one to comment on this story

Close
Post Comment
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST


ads
Back To Top