SATI

Sati – “Sati” means a virtuous woman. A woman who dies             burning herself on her husband’s funeral fire was  considered most virtuous, & was believed to directly go to heaven. Sati is the traditional Hindu practice of a widow immolating herself her husband’s funeral pyre.

             Sati was prevalent among certain sects of the              society in ancient India. There are mot many instances of remarriage of widows in Indian history & it is believed that women preferred death to the cursed life a widow.
             A large number of Sati committed just after the              war (like Johar in Rajasthan), when the women must have died to protect their honor from the invading enemies after their men perished in the battle field.

           Today Sati is illegal. The country owes the abolition of this deplorable practice to the crusading efforts of Raja Ram Mohan Roy, the 18th century social reformer. The ritual of Sati was banned by the   British Government .

What is Sati?

Definition:

Sati: The ancient Indian practice of burning a widow on her

 husband's funeral pyre, or burying her alive in his grave.

According to tradition, sati was supposed to be voluntary, and

often it was seen as the proper final act of a marriage.

However, many accounts exist of women who were forced to

 go through with the rite. They may have been drugged, or tied up 

before being placed on the pyre or into the grave.

In addition, strong societal pressure was exerted on women to

 accept sati, particularly if they had no surviving children to support

 them. A widow had no social standing in traditional society, and 

was considered a drag on resources.

During the colonial period, Britain tried to stamp out the

 practice of sati. It still occurs from time to time, however, 

particularly in rural areas of Rajastan.

The term "sati" can also apply to the widow who commits the

 act.The word "sati" comes from the feminine present participle of 

the Sanskrit word asti, meaning "she is true / pure."