Religious Controversy in British India: Dialogues in South Asian Languages (S U N Y Series in Religious Studies)

This book opens the doors to a social and cultural sphere beyond the limited world of the English-speaking elite and provides the basis for an understanding of religious controversy and internal reform. It explores the dynamics of religious interaction and conflict that points toward later developments of communalism and religious separatism still plaguing the subcontinent.Religious Controversy in British India reveals a world expressed in South Asian dialects that has been closed to many scholars and students of the subcontinent. During the nineteenth century polemical religious literature and those who wrote it mobilized groups and led them back to the “fundamentals.” Sacred texts supporting movements were translated and made available in inexpensive editions. Even texts from the well established oral tradition were put into print. This process was often initiated in response to Christian missionary activity, a response that ultimately expanded to include other religions. In this book, scholars examine the writings of Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs responsible for significant changes within different communities and for a heightened sense of boundary-defining identity.Kenneth W. Jones is Distinguished Professor in the Department of History at Kansas State University. He is the author of Socio-Religious Reform Movements in British India and Arya Dharm: Hindu Consciousness in 19th-Century Punjab, as well as co-editor of Sources of Punjab History. Religious Controversy in British India 2 CONTENTS 7 PREFACE 9 PART ONE EXTERNAL POLEMICS 12 SECTION ONE HINDU-CHRISTIAN POLEMICS 13 One The Polemic Process in Nineteenth-century Maharashtra: Vishnubawa Brahmachari and Hindu Revival 14 The Setting 14 The Career of Vishnubawa Brahmachari 18 In Summary 32 Bibliographic Essay 33 Two Arumuga Navalar and the Hindu Renaissance Among the Tamils 36 The Religious Context of the Shaiva Literati 36 Hindu-Christian Disputes in Tamil 38 Arumuga Pillai's Emergence as a Shaiva Activist 42 Navalar Arumuga Pillai, "The Learned" 48 Arumuga Navalar: Writer, Publisher, Polemicist 50 The Impact of Navalar: The Later Years 56 In Summary 57 Bibliographic Essay 58 Three Swami Dayananda Saraswati's Critique of Christianity 61 The Old Testament 63 The New Testament 71 In Conclusion 79 Bibliographic Essay 81 SECTION TWO MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN POLEMICS 84 Four Muslim-Christian Confrontation: Dr. Wazir Khan in Nineteenth-century Agra 85 Bibliographic Essay 98 Five Muslim-Christian Polemics and Religious Reform in Nineteenth-century Bengal: Munshi Meheru'llah... 101 Conflict and Competition 101 Muslim-Christian Conflict in Colonial Bengal 102 The Career of Munshi Meheru'llah 111 In Summary 123 Bibliographic Essay 125 SECTION THREE HINDU-MUSLIM STRUGGLES OVER LANGUAGE 129 Six Images of Virtue and Vice: The Hindi-Urdu Controversy in Two Nineteenth-century Hindi Plays 130 The Historical Context 130 The Hindi-Urdu Controversy 130 Pandit Gauri Datta's Play 133 Munshi Sohan Prasad's Play 143 The Two Plays Compared 145 Similarities 145 Differences 148 Conclusion 150 Bibliographic Essay 152 PART TWO INTERNAL POLEMICS: RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL REFORM 156 Seven Viresalingam and the Ideology of Social Change in Andhra 157 The Coastal Andhra Region 158 Viresalingam and His Work 160 The Widow Marriage Campaign 168 Viresalingam's Thought 174 Conclusion 180 Bibliographic Essay 182 Eight Sayyid Mumtaz 'Ali and Tahzib un-Niswan: Women's Rights in Islam and Women's Journalism in Urd... 185 Sayyid Mumtaz 'Ali: Early Life and Intellectual Background2 186 Huquq un-Niswan: Women's Rights in Islam 192 Tahzib un-Niswan: Women's Journalism in Urdu 197 Conclusion 201 Bibliographic Essay 202 Nine Vernacular Publishing and Sikh Public Life in the Punjab, 1880-1910 206 Singh Sabhas and the Evolving Sikh Tradition 207 The Singh Sabhas and Their Literature 212 Major Contributors to Sikh Tract Literature 217 Tract Literature and the Emergence of Modern Sikhism:A Summary 227 Bibliographic Essay 229 PART THREE IN SUMMARY 233 Ten Imagining Community: Polemical Debates in Colonial India 234 New Leaders and New Arenas 237 New Languages and New Messages 239 Community and the Imagination of Difference 240 NOTES 246 Chapter 1 246 Chapter Two 251 Chapter 3 260 Chapter 4 262 Chapter 5 266 Chapter 6 270 Chapter 7 274 Chapter 8 285 Chapter 9 289 Chapter 10 295 CONTRIBUTORS 297 This book opens the doors to a social and cultural sphere beyond the limited world of the English-speaking elite and provides the basis for an understanding of religious controversy and internal reform. It explores the dynamics of religious interaction and conflict that points toward later developments of communalism and religious separatism still plaguing the subcontinent. Religious Controversy in British India reveals a world expressed in South Asian dialects that has been closed to many scholars and students of the subcontinent. During the nineteenth-century polemical religious literature and those who wrote it mobilized groups and led them back to the "fundamentals." Sacred texts supporting movements were translated and made available in inexpensive editions. Even texts from the well-established oral tradition were put into print. This process was often initiated in response to Christian missionary activity, a response that ultimately expanded to include other religions. In this book, scholars examine the writings of Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs responsible for significant changes within different communities and for a heightened sense of boundary-defining identity. This Book Opens The Doors To A Social And Cultural Sphere Beyond The Limited World Of The English-speaking Elite And Provides The Basis For An Understanding Of Religious Controversy And Internal Reform. It Explores The Dynamics Of Religious Interaction And Conflict That Points Toward Later Developments Of Communalism And Religious Separatism Still Plaguing The Subcontinent. Religious Controversy In British India Reveals A World Expressed In South Asian Dialects That Has Been Closed To Many Scholars And Students Of The Subcontinent. During The Nineteenth Century Polemical Religious Literature And Those Who Wrote It Mobilized Groups And Led Them Back To The Fundamentals. Sacred Texts Supporting Movements Were Translated And Made Available In Inexpensive Editions. Even Texts From The Well Established Oral Tradition Were Put Into Print. This Process Was Often Initiated In Response To Christian Missionary Activity, A Response That Ultimately Expanded To Include Other Religions. In This Book, Scholars Examine The Writings Of Hindus, Muslims, And Sikhs Responsible For Significant Changes Within Different Communities And For A Heightened Sense Of Boundary-defining Identity.