Given the traditional
belief that a Hindu woman's primary function is that of a wife and mother,
being a widow is seen as the worst tragedy that can befall a woman and is
viewed as the karmic fulfilment of some heinous past act.
Because the basic idea of the marriage rite is that the
bride's identity is amalgamated with the groom's, a woman without a spouse was
seen to have lost her individuality.
Remarrying was also out of the question for her since she
had already assumed her late husband's identity.
A lady was obliged to remove all the symbols of a married
woman as soon as her husband died, including wiping red vermilion from her hair
part, shattering her glass bangles, and, in southern India, cutting the thread
on her mangal sutra.
She was banned to wear jewelry, colorful clothes, or other
physical adornments for the rest of her life, was required to keep her hair
trimmed short, and was required to dedicate herself to religious deeds in honor
of her deceased spouse.
She was deemed an unhappy and unfavorable person since she
had been widowed, and she was barred from any auspicious ceremonies, spending
the rest of her life performing the domestic chores.
The practice of burning a widow on her husband's funeral
pyre, known as sati, was popular in certain areas of India, although it was
uncommon in others.
In reality, there was a lot of variance on this bleak image.
The age of a woman when she was widowed, whether she had
children, and the social position of her husband's family were the most
important determinants.
A widowed lady in her eighties would most certainly remain
the family matriarch, a young widow with boys would keep her family status via
her offspring, and even a child widow in a rich family might live a somewhat
comfortable life, although with various constraints.
A widow's situation would be considerably more insecure if
one or more of these characteristics were missing, and there is little question
that many widows had tough lives in the past.
Even in contemporary times, a lady whose spouse dies early
is often seen as unlucky and hence a source of ill luck.
One of the main aims of nineteenth-century Hindu reformers
was to improve the situation of widows, and it has grown increasingly frequent
for widows to remarry, despite the fact that some of the most traditional
Hindus do not accept this.
You may also want to read more about Hinduism here.
Be sure to check out my writings on religion here.