Vishnu's Crowded Temple : India since the Great Rebellion

by Maria Misra

• ISBN13: 9780300137217
• ISBN10: 0300137214
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2008-03-31
• Publisher: Yale University Press

Summary

As it enters its sixtieth year of independence, India stands on the threshold of superpower status. Yet India is strikingly different from all other global colossi. While it is the world's most populous democracy and enjoys the benefits of its internationally competitive high-tech and software industries, India also contends with extremes of poverty, inequality, and political and religious violence. This accessible and vividly written book presents a new interpretation of India's history, focusing particular attention on the impact of British imperialism on Independent India. Maria Misra begins with the rebellion against the British in 1857 and tracks the country's advance to the present day. India's extremes persist, the author argues, because its politics rest upon a peculiar foundation in which traditional ideas of hierarchy, difference, and privilege coexist to a remarkable degree with modern notions of equality and democracy. The challenge of India's leaders today, as in the last sixty years, is to weave together the disparate threads of the nation's ancient culture, colonial legacy, and modern experience.

Author Biography

Maria Misra is university lecturer in modern history and fellow of Keble College, Oxford University. She is the author of Business, Race, and Politics in British India. She lives in Oxford.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. ix
Acknowledgements	p. xi
Maps	p. xii
Introduction	p. xxiii
Tropical Gothic	p. 1
Babel-Mahal	p. 47
Far Pavilions	p. 102
Spinning the Nation	p. 144
A House Divided	p. 206
The Last Viceroy	p. 259
Flames	p. 311
Levelling the Temple	p. 368
Epilogue, or Divine Developments	p. 435
Glossary	p. 451
Sources and Bibliography	p. 456
Index	p. 495
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