Indology

What is Indology? It is the science of Indian society... the branch dealing with interpretation of ancient texts..

Numismatic 

Indology is known as the science of Indian society. The Indological perspective claims to understand Indian society through the concepts, theories and frameworks that are closely associated with Indian civilization. It made a claim that Indian society is unique in structure, function and dynamics and cannot be associated with the European society. Indology relies on book view and culture and denounces rigorous empirical investigation.

Indology, more specifically, is the branch dealing with interpretation of ancient texts, and linguistic studies of problems of ancient Indian culture and would be more fruitful if supplemented by archaeological, sociological, anthropological, numismatic and ethnographic evidence and vice versa. Indology is both an approach to study the Indian society and also an independent discipline with Indian society as subject matter. In both the form Indology consists of studying language, beliefs, ideas, customs, taboos, codes, institutions, rituals ceremonies and other related components of culture. Indology demands inter-disciplinary, multi-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary approaches.

Literary Manuscripts

The Indological approach rested on the assumption that historically, Indian society and culture are unique and that this ‘contextually’ specificity of Indian social realities could be grasped better through the ‘texts’. It may also be viewed that indological approach refers to the historical and comparative method based on Indian texts in the study of Indian society. Therefore, Indologists use ancient history, epics, religious manuscripts and texts etc. in the study of Indian social institutions, like, kinship, family, etc. and also social structure and its relationships, cultural values, ideology, etc.

Different kinds of Manuscripts

The texts basically included the classical ancient literature of ancient Indian society such as Vedas, Puranas, Manu-Smriti, Ramayana, Mahabharata and others. Indologists analyse social phenomens by interpreting the classical texts. Apart from Sanskrit scholars and Indologists, many sociologists have also used extensively traditional texts to study Indian society. Therefore, it is called as “textual view” or “textual perspective” of social phenomena as it depends upon texts.

Indology is older than sociology. It is antique in its origin owing to 1784 by Sir William Jones in Calcutta. It was in the year 1787 that Sir William Jones founded the Asiatic society of Bengal where he introduced the two departments of Sanskrit and Indology. It is the beginning of Indology in India, which has been followed by several other scholars.

The use of the Indological approach during the early formative years of Indian sociology and social anthropology is seen in the works of B.N.Seal, B.K.Sarkar, and so on. G.S.Ghurye, Louis Dumont, Irawati Karve and many more have tried to explore Hindu social institutions and practices, either with reference to religious texts or through the analysis of contemporary practices.

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For more information, click on Sanskritization, Sanskritization over Brahminization, De-Sanskritisation, Brahminization, The Development of Literacy and Schooling, Commensality, Indian State, State, Indian Society, Religion, Marriage, kinship System, Social Institution, Types of Marriage, Family, Community, Indology, Social Movement, Bride Wealth (Price), Nation State

Reference:

• B.K. Nagla, Indian Sociological Thought
• Various

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Related Questions:

Understanding concept of Indology.

Emergence of Indology.

Significance of Indology as a subject.

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