by Zoya Singh
“Liberated from those fetters of perpetual humiliation and pain,
She draped the old crimson saree; Her mother’s last present.
And she paused, latched the door and set that house on fire,
Sati happily sacrificed her shackled past on the funeral pyre.”
- Manoj Krishnan
Historical Hindu practices have been nothing short of a reinforcing cycle of the patriarchy, constantly viewing women as a commodity whose worth is defined by their loyalty to their marital ties. The moment she is given away to the groom, a burden is ‘lifted’ off her father’s shoulders, and she is tied down by cruel duty and obligation to serve her husband; even in death. Out of the numerous archaic practices in Indian history, the most prominent and extremely brutal one is Sati, or self-immolation, in which widows were burned to death on their deceased husband’s funeral pyre. Though this custom was banned in 1829, it continues in some parts of the country at a concerning rate; still perceived as a final act of a wife’s utter devotion.
The concept of Sati originally stems from the mythological tale of Shiva and his wife, Sati, also known as Dakshayani. Her father, Daksha did not approve of Shiva and constantly ignored and disrespected him. Enraged and overwhelmed by Daksha's humiliation of her husband, she throws herself into the holy fire. She was then reincarnated as Parvati; known today as Shiva’s eternal consort. However, contrary to the essence of the practice, Dakshyani burned herself while her husband was still alive.
Sati grew popular in Bengal and Rajasthan, where the ritual is prevalently known as ‘Jauhar’. Widows who committed Sati, especially by those of higher castes and royalty, were commemorated. Before alighting themselves on the pyre, queens left their handprints on the walls of the palace household, as a memorial for their valiance.
Brahmins later adopted and accepted the custom, which further festered to lower classes in India’s medieval era.
Though most women jumped onto the pyres on their own volition, others were also often coerced into killing themselves. Amongst the warrior Rajputs, it was seen as a way for noble women to preserve their honor when their husbands died in the war. Brahmins later replicated this ideology and transformed the idea of such ‘bravery in women’ to ‘what is expected of good women’.
Thus, widows were immolated with great flourish and reverence, for now, the ‘failed wife’ had achieved salvation, and her sacrifice was considered a mark of piousness and chastity.
The Colonial Period under the British in India, the most recent and immensely profound national struggle, also bore witness to these horrifying acts.
Sati increased during the British occupation at an alarming rate, especially in Bengal.
Upon her husband’s death, the widow could inherit his property and other possessions by law. However, Hindu priests cunningly began to encourage Sati to eliminate the sole inheritors and claim all property for themself; alongside the groom’s family who would receive the widow’s belongings and blessings. It is clear that women were now no more than pawns of strategic economic value for Hindu families in the 19th century.
The practice quickly became barbaric, where women who tried to escape Sati at the last minute were drugged, bound to the corpses or even weighed down by heavy wooden logs.
In 1897, an 18-year-old widow by the name of Roop Kanwar was forcefully drugged and burned alive by a group of men in her village after she refused to perform Sati. In light of this incident, the Bengal Sati Regulation banned Sati in British India, on December 4, 1829. The regulation described the practice of Sati as “revolting to the feelings of human nature, a futile act of suicide”. Any women who managed to escape such a horrific fate were protected under the East India Company. It is apparent that Hindu ideology has indeed sowed seeds of cruelty towards women, which even now, seem completely commonplace and unquestionable.
In a country that has given such little importance to women, it is unsurprising to see how their systemic subjugation led them to believe that their worth was defined by their spouses. Even more, the acceptance of Sati is a perfect example of the blind following of misogynistic religious practices. Though the records of Sati have dwindled since the 20th century, the very notion of this historical ordinance is truly a shameful one.
Sources:
Sudha Murty: The Man From The Egg and Other Unusual Tales from the Trinity
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