A significant portion of the corpus critically examines Western Indological scholarship, tracing its origins in colonial ideology and challenging its methodological assumptions about ancient India.

Colonial Origins

The Swadeshi Indology movement, represented in the Western Indology and Its Quest for Power volume (Infinity Foundation India, 2017), traces the discipline’s roots to colonial power structures. Key points:

  • German Indology and Nazi Ideology: K. Gopinath’s paper links German Indological scholarship to Nazi racial theories, showing how Sanskrit studies were weaponized
  • Pollock’s Critique: Sheldon Pollock’s concept of a “National-Socialist Indology” is examined by Koenraad Elst, showing inner contradictions in Western academic discourse
  • The “Death of Sanskrit” Debate: Multiple papers challenge the claim that Sanskrit is a “dead language,” showing it as a living tradition with continuous evolution

Methodological Critiques

Witzel’s Writings

Michael Witzel’s extensive corpus on Vedic history is both analyzed and critiqued:

  • His work on Vedic antecedents, female figures in the Rig Veda, and non-Aryan names is examined
  • Witzel’s dating framework is seen as maintaining outdated colonial assumptions
  • His critique of Talageri and OIT is responded to in detail

The Fabrication of Evidence

The Fabricating Evidence in Support of the Aryan Invasion Theory paper exposes methodological flaws in pro-AIT scholarship, including:

  • Selective use of textual evidence
  • Circular reasoning in linguistic reconstruction
  • Dismissal of contradictory evidence

Key Themes

  1. Decolonizing Indology: The project of recovering Indian perspectives on Indian history
  2. Sanskrit Literature: Challenging Western claims about Sanskrit’s death and decline
  3. Swadeshi Indology Movement: A school of thought that applies indigenous Indian hermeneutics to Indian texts
  4. Rasa Theory: Western misinterpretations of Indian aesthetic theory (Rasa)

Sources in the Corpus

  • Western Indology and Its Quest for Power (2017): Conference proceedings on decolonizing Indology
  • Multiple papers by Koenraad Elst, K. Gopinath, Ashay Naik examining specific instances of Western bias
  • Sita Ram Goel’s How I Became a Hindu: Personal narrative critiquing Western and leftist historiography
  • Witzel’s writings as primary targets of critique (while also serving as sources for the opposing view)