British Stance in the Abolition of Sati

Abstract

Sati, the ritual of self immolation of widows in their funeral pyres of their husbands’ was the first socio-religious issue which attracted wide public attention among the natives and the British in India. It evoked heated debates among the Indians who were influenced by the Western ideals. The British Government in India was pressurized by a variety of public drawing from India and abroad. Indian reformers who were influenced by western ideals, the East India Company officials, European missionaries and the public in Britain clamoured for British interference in the practice.