Sati Pratha

Sati Pratha

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'.

Sati system in India is said to have its origins back in the 4th century BC. However, the evidence of the practice is traced between the 5th and 9th centuries AD when widows of the Kings performed this sacrifice. Jauhar was among one of the most prevalent practices in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy, the man who abolished Sati Pratha.

18-year-old Roop Kanwar remains India's last known case of sati, her death stunning a nation and forcing a rewrite of its laws

It was due to the efforts of Raja Ram mohan Roy that Lord William Bentick abolished Sati system in 1829 by declaring it an offence. It advocated freedom of the press and condemned any restriction imposed on it by the Government. It supported widow-remarriage and the education of girls.

Bhabani Charan Bandyopadhyay (1787 – 20 February 1848) was a noted Indian journalist, author and an orator. He was adored for his deftness in speech. He was a conservative Hindu, who opposed Ram Mohan Roy in the abolition of Sati System. He was the founder of the Dharma Sabha.

Eran Pillar inscription of Bhanugupta

The first epigraphic evidence of Sati has been found from Eran Pillar Inscription of Bhanugupta, Madhya Pradesh. Some records suggest that the first example of Sati appears in the Gupta Period in 510 AD.

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According to whom the practice of Sati was not in accordance with the mandates of shastras?

(a) Ashoka.

(b) Lord Wellesley.

(c) Raja Ram Mohan Roy.

(d) None of the above.

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The first epigraphic evidence of Sati is found in which of the following inscriptions?

a) Eran Pillar inscription of Bhanugupta

b) Junagadh inscription of Rudradaman

c) Allahabad Pillar inscription of Samudragupta

d) Madhuban inscription of Harsha

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