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Sati, the Hindu funeral custom of a widow's self-immolation on her husband's pyre, was prohibited by Lord William Bentinck in parts of British India after years of campaigning by Ram Mohan Roy (pictured).
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Sati (practice)
Historical Hindu practice of widow immolation
Sati or suttee is a practice, a chiefly historical one, in which a Hindu widow burns alive on her deceased husband's funeral pyre, the death by burning entered into voluntarily, by coercion, or by a perception of the lack of satisfactory options for continuing to live. Although…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Self-immolation
Suicide by setting oneself on fire
Self-immolation is the act of setting oneself on fire. It is mostly done for political or religious reasons, often as a form of protest or in acts of martyrdom, and known for its disturbing and violent nature.Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Pyre
Form of cremation
A pyre, also known as a funeral pyre, is a structure, usually made of wood, for burning a body as part of a funeral rite or execution. As a form of cremation, a body is placed upon or under the pyre, which is then set on fire.Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Bengal Sati Regulation, 1829
Law which made the burning of widows illegal in India
The Bengal Sati Regulation, or Regulation XVII, A. D. 1829 of the Bengal Code was a legal act promulgated in British India under East India Company rule, by the then Governor-General Lord William Bentinck. The act made the practice of sati—or the immolation of a Hindu widow on…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Lord William Bentinck
British military commander and politician (1774–1839)
Lieutenant General Lord William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, known as Lord William Bentinck, was a British military commander and politician who served as the governor of the Fort William (Bengal) presidency from 1828 to 1834 and the first governor-general of India from 1834 to…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Company rule in India
Period of Indian history (1757–1858)
Company rule in India refers to regions of the Indian subcontinent under the control of the British East India Company (EIC). The EIC, founded in 1600, established its first trading post in India in 1612, and gradually expanded its presence in the region over the following…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Raja Ram Mohan Roy
Indian reformer and writer (1772–1833)
Raja Ram Mohan Roy was an Indian reformer and writer who was one of the founders of the Brahmo Sabha in 1828, the precursor of the Brahmo Samaj, a socio-religious reform movement in the Indian subcontinent. He has been dubbed the "Father of Indian Renaissance." He was given the…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)