Sati

Sati was a Hindu funeral custom, now very rare and a serious criminal act in India, in which a dead man's widow would throw herself an her husband's funeral pyre in order to commit suicide. The act of sati was supposed to take place voluntarily, and from the existing accounts, most of them were. The act may have been expected of the widows in some communities. the extent to which any social pressures or expectations should be considered as compulsion has been the matter of much debate in modern times. It's frequently stated that a widow could expect little of life after her husband's death, especially if she didn't have any children. However there were instances where the wish of the widow to commit suicide was not welcomed by others, and where efforts were made to prevent the death.