Question

Which Mughal King Tried to stop the practice of sati?
A) Akbar
B) Humayun
C) Shahjehan
D) Aurangzeb

Answer 1

Hint: The Mughal, also known as the Mogul Empire, was a South Asian early modern empire. The empire spanned two centuries, from the western outskirts of the Indus basin, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and to the highlands of modern-day Assam and Bangladesh in the east, and the Deccan plateau uplands in south India.

Complete answer:
The ancient Hindu ritual of sati, in which a widow would hurl herself on her husband's pyre and burn to death, began as a voluntary act of bravery and heroism, but subsequently evolved into a forced practice.

The term "sati" originally referred to a woman who immolated herself after her husband died. The word comes from the Sanskrit word "asti," which means "pure or true."

Sati, according to Hindu tradition, signified the end of a marriage. It was a voluntary behaviour in which a lady followed her husband to the afterlife as a sign of being a faithful wife. As a result, it was seen as the highest manifestation of a wife's loyalty to her deceased husband.

It became a mandatory practice over time. Women who did not want to die in this manner were compelled to do it in a variety of ways. A widow was often seen to have no place in society and to be a burden. So, if a woman didn't have any surviving children to support her, she was forced to accept sati.

Many Mughal emperors attempted to ban the Sati system but were unsuccessful. Akbar sought but failed to put an end to the practice.

Note: On December 4, 1829, Lord William Bentinck legally abolished the Sati system in all British India territories. It was done so under the Bengal Sati Regulation, which classified Sati as repugnant to human nature's sentiments.