Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-03-15
HindOO Widows.

A more mistaken ldea OF cOnJuga Quty, or
more severe and painful test of conjugal affec-
Ion, can not be conceived, than that of the
HndOO widow, who, disdaining to live after
her husband, voluntarily mounts the funeral
pile on which his dead body is placed; an amia-
BILE victim to barbarious faith.
Considerable pains had been taken by the
British government to stop these horrid rites.
but without effect; indeed it seems that so far
from the custom having been diminished, it has
increased. 1t appears from a return made to
parliament on this subject, in 1921, that the
number of HindOO widows who were burnt or
buried alive with their husbands, in the same
number of Districts was. in 1915, 37S; in 1916,
442; in 1917. 100: and in 1918, $780,
An HindoO widow who resolves thus to de-
vote herself. abstains from food as soon as her
husband is Dead chewing betel. and invoking,
without ceasing. the god of her husbands
sect. When the fatal hour arrives ehe adOrns
herself with her jewels, and puts on her most
costly attire. as if she were going to festival.
She is accompanied by her relatives and friends,
and by the music of drums and trumpets. The
victim affectonately embraces her friends and
relations, among whom she distributes part of
her jewels and ornaments; she comforts them,
while they bless her. and entreat her prayers to
God to grant them the fortitude she manfests
In similar circumstances. The widows gen.
orally meet death with heroic firmness and con-
stancy; convinced that in thus burning them
the sacrifice deliver their husbands from the tor
ments of the next life. whatever crimes he may
have committed in this.
Mr.. Howell, well known as having been one
of the wretched prisoners in the Black Hole of
Calcutta, gives an account of one HindOO widow,
who, being told of the pain she must suffer,
with view to dssuade her from her Intention,
put her finger into the fire and held it there for
| considerable time: after which she put fire on
the palm of her hand laid incense upon it and
ma m " n ypn
Bernier. who has an interesting article on
this subject in the Harleian Collection speak
ing of the undaunted resolution which widow
at Surat exhibited, says, 81 can not do justice TO
the scene of suffering; the confidence with which
she looked on us European spectators, and met
| the view Of her little cabin, made up Of dried
millet straw and small wood, prepared for the
catastrophe. The remembrance Of the impress
sve manner in which she enteredSthis receptacle.
sat down upon the pile. and took her husbands
hand into her lap. will never desert me; nor can
time ever efface the recollection of my feelings
when calmly saw her take a TORCH and with
her own hand kindle the reeds within, while |
know not how many Bramins without were
doing the same thing. can at present scarcely
think the scene possible, though it is but few
days since beheld it."
Mr.. Forbes in his "Oriental Memoirs" men
tiOns the case of a female whose husband had
amply provided for her. and what is very I'M
usual among HndOOs, made her totally indie
pendent of his family. All was of no avail;
she persisted in her determination to accom-
pany him to better world, and suffered not
the tears and supplications of an aged mother
anu three helpless infants to divert her from her
purpose. The funeral pyre was erected; an i'm
mense cOncourse of people of all franks assembled
and q band OF music accompanied the Bramins,
who superintendent the ceremony The bower
OF death, enwreathed with sacred flowers, was
erected over pile of sandal wood and spices. on
which lay the body of the deceased. after vari-
ceremonies ha
in solemn silence awaited the arrival of the hero
Inc. She approached attended by her mother
and three lovely children. arrayed in rich attire
and wearing the hypeneal crown, an orna-
ment peculiar to an Hindoo bride at her
marriage. After few religious ceremonies. the
attendants took off her jewels, amounting her
disheveed hair With cOnsecrated ghee, as also
the skirts of her flowing robe of yellow muslin
0he color Of Euptual bliss.) Two lisping infants
chung around her knees to dissuade her from
her fatal purpose; the last pledge of conjuga
love was taken from her bosom by an aged
parent in speeches. agony. Freed from these
heart-piercing mourners. the lovely widow, with
an air OF solemn majesty. received lighted
torch from the Bramins, with which she walked
seven times round the pyre. Stopping near the
entrance Of the bower for the last time she
addressed the fire and wOrshiped the other
deltes, as prescribed in the Suttee-red then set
ting fire to her hair and the skirts of her robe to
render herself the only brand worthy Of illumi-
mating the sacred pile, she threw away the torch.
rushed into the bower. and, embracing her hus-
band, thus communicated the flames to the sur
rounding branches. The musicians immediately
struck up the loudest strains to drown the cries
OF the victim, should her courage have fOrsaken
her. but several of the spectators declared that
the serenity of her cOuntenanCe and the dignity
Of her behavior surpassed all the sacrifices of a
similar nature they had ever Witnessed
AS pOlygamy is allowed among the HindOOs
it frequently happens that more than one widow
mandates herself with the dead body Of the
husband. In 1907 kOOlin Bramin (the purest
of all the Bramins, and who are privileged to
marry as many wives as they please) died at the
advanced age of nlnety-twO. He had twelve
wives, three of whom were burned alive with
his dead body. One of these was an aged and
venerable female, who being unable to walk,
was carried in palanquin to the funeral
pile.
In the year 1899 twenty-five females were
burnt alive with the remains of Ununtu,
kOOlin Bramin Of Bagruiparu, who had more
than a hundred wives. At the first kindling of
the fire only three Of these wives had arrived
The fire was kept kindled three days. When
one or more arrived the ceremonies were gone
through, and they threw themselves on the
blazing pile On the first day three were
burned and on the second and third nineteen
more. Among these women some were forty
years old. and Others as young as sixteen.
In 1872 another KoOlin Bramn died at
Chunakuli, near Calcutta, who had married
twenty-five women, thirteen Of whom died
during his lifetime; the remaining twelve
persisted with him on the funeral pile, leaving
thirty children to deplOre the effects Of this hor-
rid system.
Some years previous to this, eighteen women,
the only survivors of the forty wives Of another
KOolin Bramin, who died at SOukachura three
miles east Of SerampOre sacrificed themselves
in the usual way. On this occasion fire ex-
tending ten or twelve yards in length was pre-
pared, into which the remaining eighteen threw
themselves leaving more than forty children.
1t is, however, an indisputable article in
HindOO laws that 1.-The mother Of an infant child
may not relinquish the care of her infant to as
cend the funeral pile"
In some cases, widows sacrifice themselves
several years after the death of theic husbands,
after being earlier prevented; or if voluntarily
avoiding it. they afterwards entertain super
titious apprehension that they have not done
their duty. In the parliamentary report to
which we have alluded it is stated that in No
vember, 1917. Massumaut Rammoosa. aged
eighty, whose husband had been absent from
his home fifteen years. being assured of his
death, resolved to sacrifice herself: but as. In
such cases, the body of the husband
Is wanting, the widow generally takes some ar
tcle that belonged to him, with which she
mounts the funeral pile.