Parallel Pathways- Essays on Hindu-Muslim Relations 1707-1857

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This work seeks to examine the state of Hindu-Muslim relations from the death of the Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb, to the Revolt of 1857. There is a belief in certain circles that the Revolt of 1857 was the last notable manifestation of Hindu- Muslim unity. That unity, it is argued. Was thereafter systematically undermined by the divide and rule policies unleashed by the British, leading eventually to the partition of the country in 1947. By this reckoning. Hindu-Muslim integration must have been an accomplished fact in the centuries preceding the Great Revolt Micro-level studies by scholars, however, reveal a considerably more complex reality.

After an overview of India in the eighteenth century, this work examines the political culture of the Mughal successor and Muslim conquest states. The cultural dynamics of the Hindu kingdoms that arose alongside are also studied in some detail.

In the nineteenth century, as the British gained political ascendancy. The Indian intelligentsia began an intense debate on the nature of Indian nationalism. The broad contours of that debate have been presented here. One controversy that occupied prominent space in the political discourse of that era was the Hindi/Urdu debate, which has also been examined. Finally, the work surveys the nature of Islam in the Indian subcontinent, specially focusing on the views of theologians, scholars and the political class.

This work seeks to examine the state of Hindu-Muslim relations from T 1707 to 1857, that is, from the death of the Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb, to the Great Uprising. Broadly speaking, this period can be divided into three phases-the first from Aurangzeb's death to the third battle of Panipat in 1761; the second from 1761 to the British entry into Delhi in 1803; the third culminating in the Revolt of 1857. As the treatment is thematic, the narrative sometimes extends beyond 1857 to properly wrap up the issue under discussion.

There is a belief in certain circles that the Revolt of 1857 was the last notable manifestation of Hindu-Muslim unity. That unity, it is argued, was thereafter systematically undermined by the divide and rule policies unleashed by the British, leading eventually to the partition of the country in 1947. By this reckoning, Hindu-Muslim integration must have been an accomplished fact in the centuries preceding the Great Revolt. Micro-level studies by scholars, however, reveal a considerably more complex reality. It is the picture that emerges from such research that is here presented.

This work was undertaken during the course of a fellowship granted by the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library. I am grateful to Dr. O.P. Kejariwal, Dr. Yogendra Alagh and Professor Kapil Kumar for their support during the course of the fellowship. Dr. Balakrishnan, Deepa Bhatnagar and the library staff extended considerable help and assistance. I would like to thank B.N. Tandon for his keen interest in the project and suggested additional readings and Devendra Swarup for meticulously going through the manuscript and offering numerous valuable suggestions. Dr. Hema Raghavan was always encouraging and supportive and generous in matters of leave. Special thanks are due to Mr. Veeraraghavan, Director of the Delhi Kendra of Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan, and Mr. K.P.R. Nair, of Konark Publishers, for facilitating the publication of this work. My family, especially my sister, Sandhya Jain, offered consistent support. I dedicate this work to the memory of my father, late Girilal Jain.