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

INTRODUCTION

xxvii

It

is true that

Indo-Aryan liberty

was notof the crude

Western
type represented by the formula

"

Liberty, Egalit^,

Fraternity."

It was liberty for

every man,

whether king or

peasant,
to follow his own Dharma
—the
Dharma being that

whichlongtraditionand
the wisestofAryan
law-givers, who

knew Indian history

andthe Indian

people, had taughtevery

manwithin the Aryan

pale toregard as

his dutytoGod, the

State,hishousehold,and himself.

Andtheconstitutionwhich

preservedthis fine ideal of liberty

was the Aryan

miniature

Republic, with its Council of

Five, which was

the political

unit ofIndo-Aryan Government.

TheDharmaofIndianEmperorsand

Kingswastomain-

tain this constitution. Those who did

sowere honoured as

Aryans, whatevertheirraceor

religion mightbe. Thosewho

trampled

itunderfoot,

eventhoseofthepurestAryanstock,were

written down in Indian history as Mhlechchas^barbarians,

and enemiesofGodand man. TheKshatriya

warriorsfought

for

this freedom—

not

merelyfor

theircattleand pastures—as

valiantlyastheirWestern brothers foughtat Marathon. No

peopleweremorewillingtoaccept alien ruleunderthesecon-

ditions.

The Rajputswhodefended Chitorheroicallyagainst

Akbar, believinghim

anenemyofAryan traditions, builthim

a throne as Vishnu'sVicegerent on Earth

^

when they knew

himas

theirfriend

;

andtheMoguldynastyhadnomorestaunch

and devoted

adherents so long as it remained true to its

Dharma.

The

historyof India isthehistory ofAryan institutions,

traditions, and

culture. But what does the Anglo-Indian

historian sayaboutthem? He

digsupthe namesofforgotten

dynasties—of

those who failed in their Dharma—but the

"

Imperial Gazetteer of

India," in its summary of Indian

• Inthe Diwan-l-Khdsat Fatehpur-Sikrl.

See

"

Handbookto AgraandtheTaj,"

bytheauthor(Longmans).