User:Shivashree/My Sandbox/2

In 1798 William Carey witnessed a Sati in Bengal district which he vividly described in his diary:

We were near the village of Noya Serai. Being evening, we got out of the boat to walk when we saw a number of people assembled on the riverside. I asked then what they were met for, and they told me to burn a body of a dead man. I enquired if his wife would be burned with him; they answered Yes, and pointed to the woman. She was standing by the pile which was made of large billets of wood, about 2 1/2 feet high, 4 long and 2 wide, and on the top of which lay the dead body of her husband. Her nearest relations stood by her, and near her was a small basket of sweetmeats. I asked them if this was the woman's choice, or if she were brought to it by any improper influence. They answered that it was perfectly voluntary. I talked till reasoning was of no use, and then began to exclaim with all my might against what they were doing, telling them that it was a shocking murder. They told me that it was a great act of holiness, and added in a very surely manner, if I did not like to see I might go further off…. I told them that I would not go, that I was determined to stay and see the murder, and that I should certainly bear the witness of it at the tribunal of God. I exhorted the woman not to throw away her life; to fear nothing, for no evil would follow her refusal to burn. But she in the most calm manner climbed the pile, and danced on it with her hands extended as if in the utmost tranquility of spirit. Previous to her mounting to the pile, the relation whose office was to set fire to the pile led her six times around it…. As she went round, she scattered the sweetmeat above-mentioned among the people, who picked it up and ate it as a very holy thing. This being ended, and she having mounted to the pile, and danced as aforesaid (n.b. The dancing only appeared to be to show us her contempt of death, and to prove her death was voluntary), she lay down by the corpse, and put one arm under its neck and the other over it, when a quantity of dry cocoa leaves and other substances were heaped over them to a considerable height, and then ghee, or melted preserved butter, poured on the top. Two bamboos were then put over them and held fast down, and the fire put to the pile, which immediately blazed up fiercely…. No sooner was the fire kindled than all the people set up a great shout--"Harree Bol. Harree Bol." It was impossible to have heard the woman had she groaned or even cried aloud, on account of the mad noise of the people, and it was impossible for her to stir or struggle on account of the bamboos which were held down on her like the levers of the press. We made much objection to their way of using these bamboos, and insisted that it was using force to prevent the woman from getting up when the fire burned her. But they declared that it was only done to keep the pile from falling down. We could not bear to see more, and left them, exclaiming loudly against her murder, and full of horror at what we had seen.

Cambridge History of India,