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

xxviii

INTRODUCTION

history, doesnoteven mention

the Aryan village

community.

Indo-Aryan history has dropped

offthe official

files. The

same authority declares that there is

little Indian sculpture

tobecalled artafterthe fourth century a.d.

Similarly inits

history of Indian architecture,

all of Fergusson's

archaeo-

logical categories of

"

styles

"

arecited as he arranged

them,

but the one vital truthwhich he

told in his history—which

shouldbewrittenupineveryPublic

WorksOfficeandinscribed

in letters of goldover the doorsof

Indian universities—that

theAryan traditionofbuildingisstillaliving

artin India—is

suppressed.

Anglo-Indianbureaucracyis indeedagreat

and splendid

machine, but the familiar proverb, Humanism est

errare, is

not yet written in its code. Sir George Birdwood, who

for

thirtyyears kept the conscienceof the IndiaOffice in artistic

matters, revealed the true spirit of bureaucracy when he

declared that Fergusson had fixed

"

pastallgainsaying"^the

classification of Indian styles of architecture. Any official,

unlesshebe ofthehighestrank,whoimpugns theaccuracyof

Indian history,as itis written officially, is viewed with sus-

picion and risks his prospects in Government service.

My

first venture on that desperate enterprise was to question

thetheory, asserted in official handbooks and propagated by

Governmentmuseumsand schoolsofart,thatIndianever

had

a

"

fineart." Thissuggestionwasreceivedwith mildsurprise

andscepticism,forthehighestmedicalauthoritieshadsaid

that

Indian

artistswere

totallyignorantofanatomyandperspective.

But as art teaching is never takenveryseriously

by British

statesmen, itwas not considered a

very dangerous doctrine.

Soaftermanyyears Indian finearthasatlast

been put

onthe

officialfile, and Mr.Abanindro
NathTagore's recentdiscovery

that India has averyperfect and practical

systemof

artistic

^

"Journal

oftheEastIndia

Association,"January

1913,

p.22.