Main objective of this book is to interpret India's social and religious life in the 19th century Indian (Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs) to English public. It also throws light upon the habits and mental peculiarities of the Indian people.
Hinduism, with its enormous and varied following, its heterogeneous structure and its fascinating remoteness from European feeling and sentiment, afforded the largest choice of subjects and occupies the major portion of this volume.
Islam, which, as regards numbers, ranks next amongst the religions of India, has also a place in the book; being represented - no doubt very inadequately - by two papers ("Muharram" and "Faquirs") intended to bring into view some of the more salient features of that great Semitic cult so nearly allied to Judaism.
John Campbell Oman (1841-1911) is a British scholar of religion and an Indologist. He worked in 1866-77 at Indian Public Works Department. In 1877-97, he was a formerly Professor of Sociology at Govt. College, Lahore, then retired. In 1898-99, he was appointed as Principal of Khalsa College, Amritsar.
He authored books like Indian Life. Religious and Social (1889); Where three creeds meet a tale of modern Indian life (1898); The Great Indian Epics: The stories of the Ramayana & the Mahabharata (1984); The Mystics, Ascetics, and Saints of India (1903); The Brahmans, Theists, and Muslims of India (1907); The Cults, Customs, and Superstitions of India (1908).
My object in writing this book being to interpret, however imperfectly, the present-day Indians to the English public, I have done my best to bring my readers into actual touch, as it were, with contemporary India at various points, using my somewhat exceptional personal experiences, as much as possible, in illustrating and elucidating the subjects dealt with, which, although by no means esoteric, have yet to be sought for, and do not, in ordinary course, come within the ken of Europeans in India whether official or non-official. Following the plan adopted in my previous books, I have included in this volume such legends and stories as seemed to me to throw light upon the habits or the mental peculiarities of the Indian people.
The figures recorded in the recently published Report on the Census of the Empire show that more than a half of the entire number of men and women under British rule follow the Hindu religion; that Islam claims another quarter of the inhabitants of the Empire, and that the remainder is made up of Christians (including those of the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Colonies, and India), and of Buddhists, Jains, Jews, etc.
Very striking and significant figures indeed are these, and may well awaken many trains of thought and speculation.
Confining our attention to India (with Burmah), we find that when the last census was taken (1901) there were in those vast territories less than three millions of Christians (Europeans and Natives all told) against two hundred and seven millions of Hindus, and over sixty-two millions of Muhammadans, each of these divisions being composed of a great society of races and nationalities speaking diverse tongues.
The Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs, Animists, etc., inhabiting India and Burmah made up a further total of about twenty-two millions.
These notable statistics are enough to make it clear that out of the vast and profound ocean of Indian social and religious life, it was only possible for me to take just a few examples of what may be gathered in that obscure yet seductive region of investigation.
Hinduism, with its enormous and varied following, its heterogeneous structure and its fascinating remoteness from European feeling and sentiment, afforded the largest choice of subjects and occupies the major portion of this volume. But Islam, which, as regards numbers, ranks next amongst the religions of India, has also a place in the book; being represented-no doubt very inadequately-by two papers ("Muharram" and "Faquirs") intended to bring into view some of the more salient features of that great Semitic cult so nearly allied to Judaism.
In describing and commenting upon such examples of Indian beliefs and practices as I have selected to lay before my readers, my own limitations have been ever present to my mind. yet I claim that my constant endeavour has been towards accuracy of statement and fairness of interpretation.
To my son, Mr. W. Campbell Oman, I am indebted for the illustrations which appear in this volume; also for reading the entire MS. of the book very carefully, and helping me with many suggestions.
Vedas (1182)
Upanishads (493)
Puranas (624)
Ramayana (741)
Mahabharata (354)
Dharmasastras (165)
Goddess (496)
Bhakti (242)
Saints (1503)
Gods (1290)
Shiva (370)
Journal (187)
Fiction (60)
Vedanta (362)
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