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

INTRODUCTION

xxxv

Census

Report for

1901,

oneof

thoseflashesofinsight

which

occasionally

appear in Anglo-Indian records. The

Census

Commissioner

had asked the Superintendents

to makespecial

inquiries

into the actual beliefs of the

ordinary man, his

standards

of right and wrong, and his

ideas of a Supreme

Deity.

Theresultissummarised

in thewordsof Mr.

Burn,

I.C.S., oneofthe

Superintendents, as follows:

"The

general result of

my

inquiries is that

the great

majority

of Hindushaveafirnl belief in One

Supreme God,

called Bhagwan,Parameshwar, Ishwar,orNarain.

Mr.Baillie

madesome inquirieswhich showed that

this involved aclear

idea ofa singlepersonal God,and

I am

inclined

tothinkthat

this is distinctlycharacteristic

ofHindusas awhole."

^

If

IndianartthrowsanylightuponIndianhistory,religion,

sociologyandthe innerworkingoftheIndianmind,itdemands

thecarefulstudyofallwhoareconcernedin the'administration

ofIndia,whatevertheirfunctionsmaybe.
Oneofthegreatest

artists of
our age, M.

Rodin,

has truly said that the word

"artist"

in itswidest acceptation means the manwhotakes

pleasureinhiswork. Myaimsasanartteacherwillbefulfilled

ifthroughmyinterpretationsofIndianartIsucceedinaddinga

newintellectualpleasuretoAnglo-Indianworkandinstrength-

eningthebondsofsympathybetween

the

EasternandWestern

branchesofthatgreatAryan family which has done somuch

fortheadvancementofcivilisation.

June,1914.

1

CensusReportfor1901,vol.i.p.

363.