The Burning of Widows: A Historical Analysis of Suttee in Pre-Sultanate Kashmir

Abstract

Suttee (or sati) is a Hindu custom of burning of a widow on her husband’s funeral pyre. The origin of the practice has remained obscure and controversial. Even the scriptural sanction of the practice is contested. However, its mention or instantiation in some religious scriptures seems to have assisted in amplification and expansion of the practice. The growth of suttee was very rapid in Kashmir as compared to other parts of India during the period 700-1100 A.D. Kalhana in his chronicle Rajatarangini which is the major source of information for this period in Kashmir has mentioned numerous cases of sati. This paper aims at examining the historicity of suttee in pre-Sultanate Kashmir by putting in use the sources available. Whether the practice was volitional in nature? How much deep-rooted it was in the society? Which sections of the society had either followed or repulsed it? This paper attempts to answer these questions and also sheds light on the social significance of the practice.