The ancient and medieval architecture of India: a study of Indo-Aryan civilisation

PREFACE

All

butthelastthreechapters

ofthisbookwerewrittenbeforethefateful

days

ofAugustwhich

sawGreat Britain once moreengaged infighting

for

the liberties of

Europe against a hateful military despotism. The

splendid

demonstration ofIndianloyaltywhich thewarhascalled forth

should

not blind the Britishnationtothefactthat thework ofbuilding

up our Empire

in the East, so farfrom being finished, will inevitably

grow

more difificult year by yearand demand more watchfulcare from

British

statesmen.

Itwill certainlybeimpossibleforGreatBritain tocontinuetorefuse

India

privilegeswhich ourally, Russia,iswillingtogrant toherAsiatic

subjects;andtheproblemofreconcilingIndianaspirationswiththevital

interestsoftheEmpirecanonlybe solved satisfactorilybyavoiding the

dangers into

which we have

drifted with regard to the government

ofIreland. The root

of

the Irish difficulties has lain in ignorance of

Irish sentiment and Irish history. Similar causes will sooner or later

producesimilar

effects on afar

larger scaleinIndia. Itisthereforethat

I

believemyselftobefulfillingapatrioticdutyin

endeavouringtoremove

themisconceptionsofIndian civilisationwhich

have solargelygoverned

Anglo-Indian policy. It is good to remind

ourselves how history is

repeatingitself—thatour Indian comrades-in-arms

are ofthe samestock

asthosewho fifteenhundredyears agowere fighting

on Indian soilthe

samebattlesforlibertyandfor Aryancivilisation

against thosewho,like

themodern Huns,knewnoright but might,aswe

arefightingtogether

in Europe to-day. It is good forus toknow that

Indian civilisationis

abranch ofthesame treewhichwe

areproudtocallour

own. Andthis

veryfeeling ofcomradeship

makesit imperative for usto

tryto under-

standthepoliticalandsocialidealswhich

Indiaherselfhas cherished

for

somanycenturies,ratherthanimposeuponherthose

whichwe,fromour

Westernexperience,judgetobebestforher.

Great Britain

could

grant Indiano greaterboonthanthe

restoration

orreconstructionofherancient

Aryanconstitution.

Nonewouldaccord

betterwith Indian popularsentiment or

do more tostrengthen

the ties

ofImperialunity.

Thepresent volume

issupplementary to

my

"

Indian Architecture

:

itsPsychology,Structure,and

History,"whichdealt

withtheMuhammadan

andBritish periods,butit hasa

widerscope as astudy

ofthe political,