1860 Boden Professor of Sanskrit election

1860 Boden Professor of Sanskrit election

The election for the position of Boden Professor of Sanskrit was held in 1860. Monier Williams and Max Müller offered different approaches to Sanskrit scholarship. Williams regarded the study of Sanskrit as a means to an end, namely the conversion of India to Christianity. For Müller, his work, while it would assist missionaries, was also valuable as an end in itself. The position was established by the bequest of Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Boden of the Bombay Native Infantry, who died in 1811.

About 1860 Boden Professor of Sanskrit election in brief

Summary 1860 Boden Professor of Sanskrit electionThe election for the position of Boden Professor of Sanskrit was held in 1860. Monier Williams and Max Müller offered different approaches to Sanskrit scholarship. Williams regarded the study of Sanskrit as a means to an end, namely the conversion of India to Christianity. For Müller, his work, while it would assist missionaries, was also valuable as an end in itself. The election came at a time of public debate about Britain’s role in India. Opinions were divided on whether greater efforts should be made to convert India or whether to remain sensitive to local culture and traditions. Williams won by a majority of over 220 votes. He helped to establish the Indian Institute at Oxford, received a knighthood, and held the chair until his death in 1899. As of 2017, the professorship is still in existence, and is now the last remaining Sanskrit professorship in the United Kingdom. The position was established by the bequest of Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Boden of the Bombay Native Infantry, who died in 1811. His will provided that on the death of his daughter, his estate should pass to the university to fund a Sanskrit professorship. The 1860 election was the last time that Convocation chose the Boden professor, as this power was removed in 1882 as a result of reforms imposed by Parliament. According to the religious historian Gwilym Beckerlegge, the professor was regarded at the time as ‘prestigious and handsomely remunerated’ It paid between £900 and £1,000 per year for life.

The first BodenProfessor was Horace Hay, who was elected in 1832 and died in May 1860. The successor, Horace Wilson, was elected for his time of death in May 1832. In 1813, most Evangelicals could operate without a licence to proselytize, except for those who were too radical in their beliefs. In the age of 1813 Indian Christians were regarded as an age when non-interference with Indian customs with religion was considered too radical. This led to a general policy of noninterference in 1813 of non-Interference with non-Indian customs, including religion, including Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, and Buddhism. The East India Company, which controlled the British territories until they were absorbed into the British Empire in 1858, had a policy until 1813 until they absorbed the British territory into the Empire. The policy was that missionaries were not required to operate without licence, except for Evangelicals who were more radical than other Christians. This meant that missionaries could operate in India without licence for a longer period of time, including when the Indian Rebellion of 1857 took place. It also meant that the British Company had to be more cautious in the way it dealt with the Indian people, including how they were treated by the British government and the British Raj. The British government had to take steps to ensure the safety of the British people in India, such as the creation of a British Museum in Delhi.