This essay extends and revises the Foucauldian concept of ‘governmentality’ in order to root theories about the ‘political community’ in the historical evidence available from the Indian subcontinent. It uses this revised understanding as a frame for rethinking issues of violence between identical communities relevant to understanding the violence of 1947-1971. Such violence, the essay argues, was not tied to the inherent nature of any one community. Nor was it related in any direct way to violence of the 17th and 18th century. Instead, it suggests that historians need to reconceive the distinct strands that made up a political community in terms of lay and monastic households and investigate the shifting relationships between these strands in order to understand the moment at which both diplomacy and sociality failed.

Monastic ‘Governmentality’: Revisiting ‘Community’ and ‘Communalism’ in South Asia

Inscriptions Of Bengal

0018-2710/2018/5704-0003$10.00 For comments and conversations on earlier yanides, Paul Harrison, and the participants of “ South Asia” at the University of Lausanne, Oc 1 Quoted in Vasant Moon, ed., Babasaheb Am Department of Education, Government of Maha 2 Johan Elverskog, Buddhism and Islam on t sylvania Press, 2010), 2. THE POWER OF THE ISLAMIC SWORD IN NARRATING THE DEATH OF INDIAN BUDDHISM Audrey Truschke

The Power of the Islamic Sword in Narrating the Death of Indian Buddhism

It is a well-known fact that Sanskrit had a relatively shorter and less prolific lifespan in the epigraphy of Indonesia, particularly in the Javanese epigraphic record, than in that of other Southeast Asian regions. All the more precious, therefore, are the rare opportunities to add a Sanskrit inscription to the historical record of Java and learn more of how the Sanskrit language was deployed on the island to represent events recorded for posterity. In this article, I offer my edition and interpretation of the inscription referred to in Indonesian publications as Prasasti Sankhara (sic, with kh), that is, the Inscription of Śaṅkara; debunk the entirely unfounded interpretation which it has received in successive reprints and editions of the greatly influential Sejarah nasional Indonesia (National history of Indonesia); and show the real historical interest of this inscription.

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The Sanskrit Inscription of Śaṅkara and Its Interpretation in the National History of Indonesia

Copper plate charters are one of the most important sources for the study of religious patronage. A study of the charters of a region within a given period helps us to understand the pattern of patronage to religious donees by its rulers and subordinates. This might lead us to interesting and illuminating findings not to be obtained from other categories of evidence. As for example, the Pālas, at least the early Pāla rulers like Gopāla I, Dharmapāla and Devapāla are known in Tibetan tradition as great patrons of Buddhism and actively extended patronage to the Nalandā monastery, apart from building other monasteries like the Somapura, Vikramśīlā, etc. Besides, their dharmacakra seal also speak of the same thought. But if we study their land donations, quite a different pattern of patronage is revealed. The present article attempts to study the nature of patronage to religious recipients in Bengal from the very beginning of religious grants, that is, the fifth century and up to the thirteenth century. The a...

Sayantani Pal

Papers

Religious Patronage in the Land Grant Charters of Early Bengal (Fifth–Thirteenth Century):