GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

Detailed explanation-1: -Who banned sati? 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.

Detailed explanation-2: -According to Thapar, the introduction and growth of the practice of sati as a fire sacrifice is related to new Kshatriyas, who forged their own culture and took some rules “rather literally", with a variant reading of the Veda turning the symbolic practice into the practice of a widow burning herself with her husband.

Detailed explanation-3: -Historical records tell us that sati first appeared between 320CE to 550CE, during the rule of Gupta Empire. Incidents of sati were first recorded in Nepal in 464CE, and later on in Madhya Pradesh in 510CE. The practice then spread to Rajasthan, where most number of sati cases happened over the centuries.

Detailed explanation-4: -Sati pratha finds roots in Hinduism and it is believed that women who self-immolate acquire divine status and become a manifestation of Lord Shiva’s partner. In Hindu mythology it is believed that Sati was Lord Shiva’s wife who burned herself in order to protest against the hatred her father held for her husband.

Detailed explanation-5: -A regulation for declaring the practice of Sati or of burning or burying alive the Widows of Hindus, illegal, and punishable by the Criminal Courts. Governor-General of India, Lord William Bentinck, in Council, Calcutta.