The British Discovery of Hinduism in the Eighteenth Century

Download or read book The British Discovery of Hinduism in the Eighteenth Century written by P. J. Marshall and published by Cambridge [Eng.] : University Press. This book was released on 1970 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the incidental consequences of the success of British arms in eighteenth-century India was the appearance of a number of publications which reflect the intense curiosity of contemporary Europeans about strange peoples, their manners and religions. Of the three principal religions of India, Hinduism attracted the most attention. European contact with Islam was several centuries old, while few travellers could identify Buddhism with any certainty. This book reprints some of the most significant English contributions to the early European understanding of Hinduism.