Travel to Bhattiani Sati Rani
Temple on your travel vacations in Jaisalmer, India, narrating the
tale of chivalry of Rajput princess, Bhattiani Sati Rani, who
performed sati (self-immolating on her husbands funeral pyre).Your
travel to Bhattiani Sati Rani will provide an endless and myriad
opportunities to explore the temple sight and known much more about
Rajasthan's sati custom.
¤ A Fascinating Tale of A Sati - (Widow's Self-Immolation)
A few steps away from the fort lies a temple dedicated to a Bhatti
princess who performed sati – but with a difference. The anecdote
behind the incident reveals the pride Rajput women felt at the time of
becoming a sati (a widow self-immolating on her husband’s funeral
pyre) till as late as the last century. Apparently the princess’s
husband and his younger brother had gone out to battle when a
messenger arrived with his headgear signaling his death. As she
prepared for sati, the body was brought back which turned out to be of
the younger sibling. The princess decided to proceed with the act
nevertheless as sacrificing her life for her dewar, (husband’s
younger brother) would make her into a mahasati (great sati).
While this may seem bizarre to the modern reader, the glorification
of the barbaric custom of sati was part and parcel of Rajasthani
culture and this was an extreme example of it. Testimonial tablets
with the handprints of satis can be seen throughout the state. The
guards of the shrine are Muslim Manganiyars (wandering minstrels) who
sing songs extolling the princess’s virtues and light a
ceremonial lamp before the tablets.
