Question

Suttee, the funeral practice of having the widow of a deceased man burned to death on his funeral pyre, is found in branches of which religious culture?

Answer 1

Answer:

Hindu religion.

Explanation:

"Suttee" or more easily known as "Sati" is the Hindu religious practice of burning a widow alive along with the corpse of her husband. This practice was prevalent mostly during the early modern Mughal period.

The Hindu religion believe in the burning or lighting of  funeral pyre along with the dead body. Hindus don't bury their dead but rather burn them. And in ancient times, to show how faithful a woman is to her man, a widow is burned alive alongside the body of her dead husband. This cruel practice was predominant especially in the elite Hindu Rajput clans. But it is not confined to just them, with some others also practicing it.

The literal meaning of the word "sati" means "faithful woman" or "chaste woman". By the self immolation of the wife, she exhibits her faithfulness and respect for her husband, even in death. This barbarous practice was brought to an end when the Christian missionaries began to start coming in India. Christian evangelist William Carey and even Hindu reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy opposed this act, thus bringing forth the introduction of the Bengal Sati Regulation of 1829. This allows the criminalizing of the practice of Sati, eventually decreasing the incidents of Sati practice.