CHAPTER-2 : Modern Historians of Ancient India
Ancient History of India
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Short Notes or Revision Notes
Colonialist Views on India their Contribution
Legal System
- Faced challenges administering Hindu Law (1765).
- Translated Manu Smriti (Hindu law code) in 1776 for reference.
- Employed Pandits and Maulvis to assist with religious legal matters.
Scholarship
- Established Asiatic Society of Bengal (1784) for research.
- Sir William Jones:
- Proposed connection between Sanskrit, Latin, and Greek languages.
- Translated Abhijnanashakuntalam (play) and Bhagavad Gita (religious text).
- Other Societies founded in Bombay (1804) and London (1823).
- “Sacred Books of the East” series published ancient Indian texts.
Historiography
- Vincent Arthur Smith (1843-1920) wrote “The Early History of India” (1904).
- Emphasized autocracy as a defining feature of Indian history.
Approaches to Ancient Indian History
Nationalist Approach (19th-20th C.)
- Emphasized Indo-Aryan contributions (e.g., Rajendra Lal Mitra).
- Reconstructed political and religious history (Bhandarkar, Rajwade).
- Documented social customs and laws (Kane).
- Highlighted cultural achievements (Majumdar, Nilakanta Sastri).
Move Towards Non-Political History (Mid-20th C.)
- Focused on broader social and cultural aspects (Basham).
- Introduced economic and materialist analysis (Kosambi).
- Emphasized critical analysis of sources.
Communal Approach (Late 20th C. – Present)
Uses history for political agendas (some Indian and Western
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