A History of Agriculture in India v2.c60.s3.1.1

v2.c60.s3.1.1

The Hindus observed the custom of Suttee. According to Vincent Smith, there is some indication that Suttee was practised by the Aryans in pre-Vedic times before their entry into India. Describing the strange customs of the people of Taxila, Strabo states that he had heard from some persons of wives burning themselves along with their deceased husbands and doing so gladly; and that those women who refused to burn themselves were held in disgrace. Ibn Battuta saw a widow being burnt and gives a vivid account of the tragic scene. 'I saw the people hurrying out. I asked them what was happening and they told me that one of the Hindu infidels had died, and a fire had been kindled to burn him, and his wife would burn herself along with him. After the burning my companions came back and told me that she had embraced the dead man until she herself was burned with him. Later on I used often to see a Hindu woman, richly dressed, riding on horse-back, followed by both Muslims and infidels; and preceded by drums and trumpets, she was accompanied by Brahmans, who are the chiefs of the Hindus. In the sultan's dominions they ask him permission to burn her, which he accords them. The burning of the wife after her husband's death is regarded by them as a commendable act, but is not compulsory; only when a widow burns herself does her family acquire a certain prestige by it and gain a reputation for fidelity.