The EIC's Forgotten Reformer: Lord William Bentinck and the End of Suttee

In 1829, the Governor-General of Bengal, Lord William Bentinck, banned sati — the Hindu practice of a widow immolating herself on her husband's funeral pyre. This episode dives into how the East India Company finally took a stand on a practice it had tolerated for decades. We trace the campaign of Bengali reformer Ram Mohan Roy, the legal wrangling over whether Company courts could intervene, and the shocking case of a twelve-year-old widow in 1824 that galvanized public opinion. We also examine the hypocrisy: Company officials had long profited from pilgrim taxes at temples like Puri's Jagannath Temple, where sati was sometimes performed. Bentinck's decision was a watershed — but it also revealed the limits of Company power, as conservative Hindus petitioned the Privy Council to overturn the ban. A story of religious custom, colonial reform, and the uneasy birth of modern Indian feminism. #LordWilliamBentinck #Sati #RamMohanRoy #EastIndiaCompany #Bengal #PrivyCouncil #JagannathTemple #Puri #HinduReform #ColonialIndia #1829 #Suttee #CompanyBahadur #FexingoHistory #History #India #BritishEmpire #SocialReform Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo