Jauhar and Sati: Meaning and Difference

Jauhar is often described in terms of the women and children alone, but should correctly be understood as including the death of the men on the battlefield. Jauhar and saka involved:

• A defending Hindu army being besieged inside a fortification by an invading Iranic or Muslim enemy army.
• The realization by the defenders that defeat was both imminent and inescapable.
• The realization by the defenders that the enemy army would capture women and children.
• The immolation, en masse, of women and young children to avoid dishonour of being captured by the invading army;
• The men of the besieged army riding out to a certain death on the battlefield.

It was considered proper for the men to fight to the last breath when defeat became certain in a war but jauhar was committed to avoid capture and dishonour of royal women. When defeat at the hands of a more powerful enemy was imminent, the women, dressed in wedding finery, immolated themselves, then the men, bearing Kesariya Bana(saffron coloured dress), attacked the enemy

Despite occasional confusion, this practice is not related to Sati . While both practices have been most common historically in the territory of modern Rajasthan, sati was a custom performed by widowed women only, while jauhar and saka were committed while both the partners were living and only at a time of war. The practice of jauhar by the royal women may have led to rise of social practices like sati in the ensuing centuries where woman were forced to die on their husband's funeral pyre.

Sati was was a social ffuneral practice among some Indian communities in which a recently widowed woman would immolate herself on her husband's funeral pyre The practice was banned several times, with the current ban dating to 1829 by the British

The term is derived from the original name of the goddess Sati also known as Dakshayani who self-immolated because she was unable to bear her father Daksha's humiliation of her (living) husband Shiva

Jawhar on the other hand was the collective suicide of a community facing certain defeat in a battle against Muslims. It consisted of the mass immolation of women, children, the elderly and the sick, at the same time that their fighting men died in battle

Originally posted by: Bonny_Rimpy

thanks for the info..

one question...were u a history student?? 😉

Originally posted by: Nandiniraizaada

Nope I am a medicine student😆

But I am rajputni, in Rajasthan we here these stories in tha cradle Long with Cinderella and snowwhite😆