History's Darkest Rituals: Widow Burning (Sati)

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Would you die for the person you love? According to the ancient Indian tradition of sati, if you are a woman, you should. Sati, the act of religious widow burning, is one of the most controversial traditions handed down in the Indian subcontinent. With a history stretching back millennia and reaching into the Vedic texts themselves, sati has inspired both fierce condemnation and enthusiastic support through its long and complicated history. To its defenders, sati is the ultimate sign of sacrifice and love that makes the widow tantamount to a goddess. To its critics, it is a brutal practice that disposes of the life of an innocent woman, often against her will. The Indian government had held a firm line in banning it, but a vocal minority continues to defend it to this day. Today on A Day In History, we will dive deeply into the history, practice, and survival of one of the most infamous religious rituals ever devised. If that sounds interesting to you, then you’ll love the other videos we have on our channel, and a like on this video would be much appreciated. The Origins of Sati The exact origins of sati are unclear. The earliest known reference is in the Rigveda where a woman who is about to sacrifice herself alongside her husband’s body is told instead to keep living. The reference demonstrates that sati was already known as early as 1000 BCE, if not earlier. It is likely that it descends from practices used by the proto-Indo-European peoples that the ancient Vedic people of India are ultimately descended from. These are the same peoples responsible for the common Indo-European language and religious similarities that link India, Persia, Anatolia, and Europe. The fact that ancient Germanic and Celtic peoples had practices very similar to sati also suggests it has extremely ancient roots that could be up to 5,000 years old, if not older. Many of our earliest references are mythology rather than history. In the great epic Mahabharata, the four wives of Vasudeva, father of Krishna, commit sati upon his pyre. It is also referenced in the Ramayana, the Vishnu Purana, and several other ancient texts dealing with the gods. The first historical evidence of sati comes not from India, but Nepal. The Changu Pillar raised by the 5th century ruler Manadeva is both the oldest historical inscription in Nepal and the first to mention sati. In it, the king claims to have forbidden his mother to immolate herself upon his father's funeral pyre. Clearly, sati was a known practice and expected among royals. However, Manudeva’s refusal to allow it shows that it was not mandatory, nor was it wrong for a king to prevent it or boast about doing so. #sati #history #darkrituals #colonialhistory #femalehistory Sources: Andrea Major, Pious Flames: European Encounters with Sati, 1500-1830, (2006) Axel Michaels, Hinduism: Past and Present, (2004) Basudevlal Das, ‘Sati Custom in Nepal: A Historical Perspective’, Academic Voices: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 7.1, (2017) Kumkum Sangari and Sudesh Vaid (ed.), Recasting Women: Essays in Indian Colonial History, (1993) Rig Veda Samhita, 10.18, (trans by H. H. Wilson) Rosalind O'Hanlon, 'Issues of Widowhood', in Gyan Prakash and Douglas Haynes (eds.), Contesting Power: Resistance and Everyday Social Relations in South Asia (1991) Soutik Biswas,’Sati: How The Fight to Ban Burning of Widows in India Was Won’, BBC News, 24th April 2023, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-65311042 William Francis Patrick Napier, History of General Sir Charles Napier’s Administration of Scinde and Campaign In the Cutchee Hills, (1851) ‘Why fight for justice isn't over in India's 'horrific' widow-burning case, 37 years on’, BBC News, 19th October 2024, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn8ykmn2p1go Copyright © 2025 A Day In History. All rights reserved. DISCLAIMER: All materials in these videos are used for entertainment purposes and fall within the guidelines of fair use. No copyright infringement intended. If you are, or represent, the copyright owner of materials used in this video, and have an issue with the use of said material, please send an email to [email protected]