Warrior Ascetics and Indian Empires (Cambridge Studies in Indian History and Society, Series Number 12) - Hardcover

Pinch, William R.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0521851688 ISBN 13: 9780521851688

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2006

Synopsis

Many people assume, largely because of Gandhi's legacy, that Hinduism is a religion of non-violence. In this 2006 book William R. Pinch shows just how wrong this assumption is. Using the life of Anupgiri Gosain, a Hindu ascetic who lived at the end of the eighteenth century, he demonstrates that Hindu warrior ascetics were an important component of the South Asian military labor market in the medieval and early modern Indian past, and crucial to the rise of British imperialism. Today, they occupy a prominent place in modern Indian imaginations, ironically as romantic defenders of a Hindu India against foreign invasion, even though they are almost totally absent from Indian history. William R. Pinch's innovative and gloriously composed book sets out to piece together the story of the rise and demise of warrior asceticism in India from the 1500s to the present. It will appeal to students of religion and historians of empire.

About this title

Book Description:

This 2006 book sets out to piece together the story of the rise and demise of warrior asceticism in India from the 1500s to the present. It shows Hinduism is not a religion of non-violence, as Hindu warrior ascetics were an important component of the South Asian military labor market.

About the Author:

William R. Pinch is Associate Professor of History at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. He is the author of Peasants and Monks in British India (1996).

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0521851688
• ISBN 13: 9780521851688
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 294