<P> The Rajput practice of Jauhar , known from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh , was the collective suicide of widows who preferred death rather than being captured alive and dishonored by victorious Muslim soldiers in a war . According to Bose , jauhar practice grew in the 14th and 15th century with Hindu - Muslim wars of northwest India , where the Hindu women preferred death than slavery or rape they faced if captured . Sati - style jauhar custom was observed only during Hindu - Muslim wars in medieval India , but not during internecine Hindu - Hindu wars among the Rajputs . </P>
in the medieval period in india the term sati meant
collective suicide of widows who preferred death rather than being captured alive and dishonored by victorious Muslim soldiers in a war