Chapter 2: British Indomania

In the early years after British conquest of Bengal, everything about India 
had an aspect of novelty which explains the initial enthusiasm.  Indophobia
which followed early Indomania was a predictable face of colonialism.  The
author argues that Indophobia was made and not born.

Indomania was an enthusiam for India entertained by a few well educated
Britons, whose visibility caused a certain resonance among the elite.  It
never sent down deep roots in the British social system.  Indomania was
exclusively directed towards Hindus and not Muslims, it was primarily 
concerned with ancient Indian civilization before the arrival of Muslims.

In early writings Hinduism was generally portrayed in favorable terms.  The
two main features were: that Hinduism is basically monotheistic, and that 
the benevolence of its religion and laws made India prosperous and peaceful 
country before foreign conquests.  Idolatory or use of images was explained
as a lapse and a secondory feature and not the essence.

[Poster's note: Al-Biruni, 11 the century Muslim scholar who visited India
wrote similar things]

Hinduism was thought of as the religion of the native Indians and Muslims
were regarded as foreign conquerors.  Indigenous Muslims were rarely 
recognized and mostly ignored.  Most of the evils of India were attributed
to Muslim conquest and despotic rule.  The British government was considered
as enfranchisement of Hindus.

Exposure to Hinduism had an unsettling effect upon the Christian belief 
among the English in Calcutta.  The author cites (in a footnote) an example
from Hastings' diaries where he wonders "Is the incarnation of Christ more
intelligible than .. those of Bishen?"

The first wave or Orientalism often tested the limits of reason in the
construction of favorable reading of Hinduism.  William Jones' project
of Mosaic ethnology appears to make new Orientalism safe for Anglicans.
He rejected the long cycles of Indian time but accepted the flood narrative
of the Puranas as independent confirmation of the Biblical flood.  He in
effect guaranteed that the new admiration of Hinduims reinforced Christianity
and and not work against it.  

Indomania and Egyptomania ran hand in hand until decipherment of Egyptian
hieorglyphics.  The idea of supposed connection between Egypt and India
died after the decipherment.

British enthusiasm for Indian astronomy began with a paper read by
John Playfair in 1789 before the Royal Academy of Edinburgh.  However,
european enthusiasm was created by French and not British.  It waned
after 1809.

Francis Wilford, office in the army of East India Company, devoted his
time to studyding geographical sections of the Puranas.  He sought help
from a pandit in reading Puranas and extracting information.  The pandit
was given money to hire assistants and was also given a place in a college
in Benares as an encouragement.  The pandit presumably pocketed the money, 
composed 12000 brand new Sanskrit slokas (verses) and inserted them into 
Skanda, Bramhanda and Padma Puranas.  It took sometime to discover this
fraud.  One insertion in Padma Purana, in nine verses recounted the story
of Noah, his three sons, and the curse of Ham.

British enthusiasts of India include talented individuals such as Jones
and Colebrook and rank amateurs.  The discourse of Indomania was a mixture 
of pearls and dung.