Section 1 (1600-1900 and Languages: Decline of the Mughal Rule Reasons: Three major factors, with many sub-factors: A. The nature of the empire: * Weak administration: Huge empire; no effective means of communication biw the centre (Delhi) & far off territories; news of rebellions reached the emperor very late; gradually failing Mansabdari system, esp by the time of Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb’s policies: religious intolerance, e.g., demolition of Hindu temples, re- Imposition of Jiziya, ban on art, painting, music; his Deccan campaigns; 25 years against the Marathas & on his return exhaustion of straight treasury. * Heavy military costs to suppress revolts; diverse regional & cultural groups, often against the Mughal rule; also, foreign invaders, e.g., Afghans, Persians (Ahmed Shah & Nadir Shah) & then the Europeans. Failures in Delhi: * Grouping of courtiers; palace conspiracies, usually due to the succession wars; No written law of succession; fight among princes on death of emperor, & division of courtiers (ministers) in support of different princes; e Shah Jehan fought over power even when he was alive; A.zeb di between three sons but still succession disputes. B. Complacence due to success * Military inefficiency: No advancement in military skills & weapons due to a false sense of being inconvincible/indomitable; no organized navy; corruption affected military officers, as it did the rulers; this emboldened the rebel groups Sikhs in the north and Marathas in the south grew stronger with time. Pleasure seeking/weak later Mughals: rulers & noble's fell into luxurious life style. finest garments, expensive jewelry, lavish spending, all as a result of fabulous wealth accumulated by the early Mughals; all successors of Azeb proved corrupt & inefficient; heavy spending on monumental building: the Taj, Agra), but no scientific research, exploitation of resources and p fare ‘schemes. Weak control: highly powerful court nobles and ministers; difficult sak rulers to control them; neglect of the Mansabdari system Sy administrative "inefficiency; state revenue began to decline. 1¢ Arrival of the British: rhe British EIC already looking for an oppor fo replace the Mughals; nufacture of cheap goods nough military strength; British decline but also to take control ofReason ee) nefficiency' no "ea foreig” ae intolerance, 6-9" demolition of Hindu tem, jrangeens PAIS cr at, painting, sic; his Deccan campaigns, Be gon of Jiziyes ene his return ‘exhaustion of straight treasury Be 8 or er weapons & better Skills ince in science \d technology g attracted to India lly, the Mughals; wealth wealth of Indian rulers, especie ; wealth ne, f the Industrial Revolutions; “ vustres in Europe in the wake OF ions; metay Soirankn Eee econo h Ee ma) «Discovery of sea routes to India helped trade flourish b/w Europe & In Decor ton, Gath, opum, gol et; highly profitable trade, for baad tage 4 Europeans, in the beginning. Indigy, Mughal rulers & Indian traders welcomed the Europeans, 16” centu Bi fal fe ete toda in the Zac indies: (ndoniseea a eat aa tise cstbiated there; the Ectish EIC tumed towards Indie, cent: acum the Dutch, Portuguese & French in order to enjoy monopoly, lecided to oy for Europeans bein ‘© Splendour & Reasons for the British replacing a) gi ig Ind icing the Mi AmdlveokeoseocThoan t stegte oe 81 Conquering Indians 1) Indian Weaknesses: * Highly dvided Indians Ans. T POrN. Se @: Who were the Mughals? or Describe the Mughal Rule. 4 ‘Ans. The Mughal rule was founded by Babur in 1526. $i great rulers, from Babur to ‘Aurangzeb, expanded and consolidated their rule 1626 fe 4707. During this period they excelled in literature, music, painting and architecture, building several mney uments like the Taj in Agra. After the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, there were Corrupt and inefficient rulers who felled to run the affairs of @ huge empire. The process of deciine continued till the British overtnrti them after the 1857 War of Independence. The last Mughal ruler, Bahadur Shah Zafar, was exiled to Rangoon and imprisoned. The British thus replaced the Mughals to make India their colony @: Describe what the Marathas did. (4) Ans. Marathas were a ferocious and militant Hindu community living in the Deccan, south India. They excelled in guerrilla warfare, and offered stiff resistance to the Mughals. They were especially organised under their dynamic leader Shivaji who laid the Tee en of 8 Maratha Empire in the 1670s. Aurangzeb fought against them for spout 25 years but failed to crush them. So, they became 2 reatcr ‘of the deciine of the Mughals. They defeated a huge Mughal army outside Delhi in 1737, and later ocupied it in 1760. They were defeated by the Afghan army of Anmed Shah Abdali in 1761, in the third battle of Panipat. @:; What were Aurangzeb’s religious policies? (4) ‘Ans. Aurangzeb was an orthodox Mughal ruler. During 1s reich 4658-1707, he earned hostility and opposition by his non-Muslim subjects. He re-introduced the Jiziya, a tax peted on noncMuslims that had earlier been abolished by ‘Akbar. He also destroyed levied Pandy temples and tried to ban the old Hindu custom of Suttee, buming @ widow alive on the cremation ceremony of her husband. He also showed strictness in SMforeing Islamic law and tried to fix the lengi ‘of the beard Muslim men were required to keep. Thus, he became 4 controversial figure for the historians. Many {hed to defend him while others blamed him for religious intolerance. Q: Who was Shivaji? (4) ‘Ans: Shivaji was a ferocious Marathan fighter and founder of the Marath ire in Bijapur, southern India, He was ‘erowned Chhatarpati(monarch jin 16741 novated miliary tactics, including guerrilla ‘warfare, and revived od Hindu traditions. He fought rl oem 1657 fo 1668.He was arrested by AUrand y but escaped i with Aurangzeb and conquered soot al South Indian teritories. He died in 1680. o oe SQa ire declined following the y the Mughal Emp! dea, urangzeb. jent. They proved to be lazy, corrupt ang, 0 s. ee Scere Ro tek courtiers and ministers who rls x : loving and left the state al rs became victim to an extravagant lifestyle as act selfish. iat et defend the huge empire effectively. State reso, : cient on personal comfort and so, the empire suffered from finan Tea law of succession due to which the princes often fought for the throng on the death of the emperor. These wars of succession led to a division of the a with various lobbies supporting various princes. Succession was usually decided by the ability of the individual princes and the support and strength they could get fron, the courtiers and the army. This infighting incurred huge loss to the state excheg - ae have been spent on the public welfare schemes and consolidating the Explain wh hard to defend a vast empire with an orthodox and ol tactics. The British fully exploited these weaknes: Ses utdated we i that they overran with their advanced wee Pe ugha Eri Of a very rich i ‘ Mu PONS, Warfare and clever Bist aieQ: ‘The spread of Marathan power was the main reason for the decline of the Mughal Empire.’ Do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer. (14) Ans. Marathas were the militant Hindu community concentrated mainly in the southern Indian state of Mahrashtra. The Maratha Empire was founded by the ferocious Marathan commander Shivaji in the 1670s. They gradually organized themselves and began to offer stiff resistance to the Mughals. They defeated the Mughal army in 1737 outside Delhi and had captured the strategic town of Malwa in 1738. During the first six decades of the 18" century, they were the most powerful and established community in India that was ready to fill in the power vacuum created by the declining Mughal rule. Successive Mughal rulers found it almost impossible to check the rapidly growing Marathan power. Aurangzeb spent about 25 years in the Deccan desperately trying to eliminate the Marathas. On his return, he found the state treasury almost empty and this added to his difficulties. However, the mighty Mughal rule did not decline due to the Maratha factor alone. Historians also blame the prejudiced and intolerant policies of Aurangzeb, who adopted strict measures against the non-Muslims. He imposed the discriminatory Islamic tax Jiziya on the non-Muslims that had earlier been abolished by Akbar, though he tried to defend himself by waiving some other taxes. He also demolished a number of Hindu temples, and adopted a harsh attitude towards the Sikhs. Being a staunch Sunni ruler, he banned many activities such as painting, music, drinking, gambling and dance that had been part of the Indian culture and society. He also tried to ban the Hindu custom of Suttee, burning widow alive on the cremation of her husband. in order to meet huge expenses of military campaigns, he imposed heavy taxes, and the money collected by taxes was spent on luxurious buildings, a tradition of the Mughal rulers. All this made Aurangzeb very unpopular, and his successors found it quite difficult to rule the empire. Weak successors of Aurangzeb fell victim to extravagant and luxurious lifestyles and paid little attention to the defence and consolidation of the empire. They became morally corrupt and comfort-loving, and could not overcome the difficulties faced by various parts of the huge empire, This complacence is the usual result of continued successes of major empires, and the Mughals were no exception to this. Negligence of the weak later Mughals to the state affairs also contributed to the fall of the Mughal Empire. The Mughals did not have a definite law of succession. On the death of an emperor, the princes got engaged in conspiracies, intrigues and making loyal groups that always led to regicidal wars of succession. Success of a candidate Shem depended ‘on the support he could get from the millitary and ministers. Thus, st e/resources were wasted on mutual fights instead of public welfare and defence of the empire. Finally, the last nail in the coffin of the Mughal rule was perhaps dfiven by the British, who began to dominate the political horizon of India, 1750 oRwards. The tottering Mughal Empire was no match to the British supremacy in warfare. The British very? " ompany f trading rights in 4. st India C the charter of in 4 ; What was the a nny that was arated southern Indian town of Surat, jn nh i ihwas a trading Tee 3 ship landed on the Emperor Jahangir in 1612’ tet Ans een Ekzabel | sf to rade in India bythe Emper Bombay/Mumba if twas granted permeara | moved its dear 18" century, and ot ioe Sn en tp acquire miliary, power 2 Susy . pera a pease Bengal, in 1757. It was abolished in 1858 and thay, victory in the ba p direct British rule over India started. Q Explain why the EIC became involved in the Indian sub-Contingn during the 17" century? ‘Ans: Britsh were attracted to the Indian Wealth and resources, With the dis: [pute to India, reports began to reach about Indian riches and resources to Eng) India became known as the * olden sparrow" because of its fabul resources such as cotton, sil Ik, jute, indigo, Jewellery and even the addictive q Opium. British needed these to feeg their factory industry as tl industralizing nation (7) ‘COVEY of ge, uth Asia (Indian Sub- as Surrounded by Bish ie NOU Operate throughout th wat ler year. Such ees fom india, "Y) COU great help British expend a Cs founded by theBritish govt. replacing the EIC Various steps taken by the British govt, aimed at restricting the EIC, 1770 onwards, after reports of misgovernance & corruption in Bengal 1773, the Regualling Act: the EIC now accountable before the British Parliament, EIC to provide a detailed report of its activities to the Parliament. Governor of Bengal (Warren Hastings) was made the Governor-General, with the authority to ‘superintend & contro!’ the governor of Bombay & Madras. ‘Supreme Court was set up in Calcutta. 1784, Pitt's India Ac! © Direct control of the Indian possessions by Brit govt. More powers for the Governor-General; he could now supersede the administration of Bombay & Madras; 3 presidencies under his control; a post of the Commander-in- Chief of the armed forces. EIC lost most of its powers, though it continued its trading activities. Later, police force & civil services, too. By 19" century, powers of EIC were further limited. 1858, it was completely abolished. Reason: @ Reports of misgovernance, financial embezzlement, corruption (esp in Bengal) about the EIC (officials). ® Brit govt. had to act in time to control this India was a huge country; political affairs of such a large state couldn't be permanently given to a trading company; India had to be a “jewel in the crown"——— matter of prestige. © Threat of Russian attack through Afghanistan: Brit had to secure the north-western borders of India in order to check any Russian advance by way of Afghanistan; a regular Brit army was needed to be stationed along the NW border. SY QS vy € SSae Ans: ir control over India to expand their c| om le ny were British ab aie He and 1850? pand their influence in India bety, f 3 to ex’ Why were British ablé ie skilfully between 1750 and tg5q 17508 1850? See calle Geta Plassey 1751 anded their ee the major victories wars in southern ings! Th sind sent ee inde eatin Ni2reay to exploit local eSources gain 64) in no oe Buxar (17 nd rich area _ nie gave them huge a (C begets anisuak a aa allocate eraeeien ge Elo. Dee J governors ang ihe tn cota the cong system of judiciary and g British fn While get tion. This comprised the sys he state affairs along the Britis lines Ce eae helped the EIC to run the Governor Geners ir exports as wel a& so introduced trade laws that favoured its imports and Dt The EIC also i local trade, Sy Why did British government take Control from the EIC? British government wanted to Make India its Colony. It knew that politica affairs of the Indian Sub-Continent Could no longer fun by a tr ‘ading com any. Ina way it was a a ‘Sr Of prestige for the British Sovernment, Therefore, by Passing a nates 2 2s, the powers Of the EIC were Sradually restricted. Und, tl ti Act of 173, the EIC was Made accountable to Parliament orihe Reguia 4 There were also repo, ‘Management an 5 , "gal and other Provinces, Cor ficigig Btn by the Ete Officials, in OF Benga to! 3 y bribe Y Officials for, 'd the newly @ppointed in fi the ; nancial ©mbezzieme, © Tevenue of qe? form of Gifts. The involved ca We 0uKo of British go, ae nt 8S they had an is was er Bri ent, i : fas al80 wanteg % aegPanes Wanted to Share in the 1813, IC lost its wa rea, on aQ: Who was Robert Clive? (4) Ans. He was hired as a clerk by the East India Company but soon he joined the Company army and eared fame as a brilliant commander. In 1751, he gained his first victory by defeating the Nawab of Carnatic in the battle of Arcot. In June 1757, his army defeated the Nawab Siraj-ud-Daula in the Battle of Plassey and became the governor of Bengal. His third victory was in the battle of Pondicherry against the French in 1761. After returning to Britain he faced trials on charges of mismanagement and corruption. Though he was acquitted, being an opium addict he committed suicide, in 1774 at the age of 49, Q: What was the ‘Black Hole Tragedy’? (4) Ans. Nawab Siraj-ud-Daula decided to punish the British after they had started fortifying themselves at important posts in Calcutta (Kolkata) in violation of their treaty with him. He marched on Calcutta and seized the Company's Fort William in June 1756. The 64 captured British residents were locked up in a small room where 23 of them were found dead the following moming. This was used by Robert Clive as an excuse to whip up anger against the Nawab. Clive's army defeated and killed the Nawab in the Battle of Plassey in 1757. Q: Describe the Battle of Plassey. (4) Ans. In 1757, the French encouraged Nawab Siraj-ud-Daula ‘of Bengal to attack the EIC base at Calcutta. The Nawab captured the city but Robert Clive reached with his army of 3,000 soldiers and bribed Mir Jafar, one of Siraj's key commanders, Give defeated the Nawab’s army of 18,000 in the battle. The Nawab's dead body was found in a river after the batlle. Mir Jafar was made the Nawab as a reward for turning against the Nawab and supporting Robert Clive. This victory became the foundation of the British rule in India as Clive became the governor of Bengal. Q: Who was Tipu Sultan? (4) Ans: Tipu was the Sultan of Mysore in southern India from 1782 to 1799 and was a formidable enemy of the British. The EIC had to launch a strong propaganda campaign to malign his conduct by deciaring him “the monster of Mysore”. He was helped by the French and defeated the British in the 2% Anglo-Mysore Wer, and forced the British to accept the Treaty of Mangalore in 1784. The EIC defe the 3° Anglo-Mysore War in 1789 ‘and a humiliating Treaty of Serin desperately sought help from France, Turkey and Afghanistan but OSE Wellesley’s army defeated and killed him with the help of Marathas andthe Nizam of Hyderabad in the 4" Anglo-Mysore War in 1799 in his fort of cael wy Q: What was the Industrial Revolution? © we. ®, Ans: It was the process of industrialisation ‘of Europe, and (Eng and was its greatest beneficiary. Factory industry began 4 ‘aii Ce selected towns of England. The development Sonica Leapaeet machines, railways and steamships. This res Wy . £ the la Eape of its towns and lifestyle of the community in England, and changed Te cat, oe ean people. Import of oe oe cotton se eo sam Britain to be a major military and colonial jn the 19th century. erigine provided power to rundh. in Afghanistan causing al n , pellion in Afg! ct ‘nd th decid, : oops were yaad A undo this gampge bey, 1809, ue es the rsh peste. or renaly to Ben general Charles Nah =F oo rev amend 1843 The British, in turn, ats! : od th Br sidency I 5 Treaty of Fen acked the Briish Resi oa ee ar by defeating the Amirs the and a ; jab and the NWF. ( Q: Describe the annexation of the ie was @ poliical crisis in the Punjap 1 pas ane cad ene a. 699, the ship of 1809, attacked the British, Sikhs, violating the Treaty of Perpetual Frien ship a ere penalizes were defeated in the Battle of Aliwal in January 1846, They we pr ay forced to sign the Treaty of Lahore, In the Second Sikh War, 1 848-1849, the Sikhs were defeated again and the Sikh Empire came to end, The British annexed the Punjab and te NWF on 30h March 1849, Gulab Singh, the ruler of Kashmir, bough, British, Q: What Was the Doctrj igs 1082 octrine of Laps? Overnor General Lord p; ie i (4) this, if @ state ry; i eusie introduc ‘i Soon the States of Sa ne ae natural/malg hale ther cone or Lapse. UG msrp and Jhansi Were annexed fou annex the state. 56, on { ; i Y when it wag misuse oo The inch ad ; IN he ‘ake the state awa abolished 3 faee™=nce, i bee sany sons, Dalhousie ; Of the War ofQ: Ans: Pa Sel 7% Section 1 New Questions Why was Warren Hastings appointed the first governor-general of Bengal? 7?) Warren Hastings was a very studious employee of the East India Company and gained success and prominence in the Company. Though unsupported, and at times, opposed by his colleagues, he worked very hard to raise revenue of the Company In order to achieve his objectives, he introduced the concept of putting the tax collectors up for auction. This tempted many to acquire the post by paying heavy money to the Company. Once the ambitious candidates got the desired position of tax collector, they would use all tactics to extort taxes from the Indians. They would force even the poor farmers to pay the fixed taxes regardless of the land produce affected by drought or other calamities. Hastings also extended the British control over central and southern India by fighting and defeating fierce resistant rulers like the Marathas ,and Haider Ali of Mysore. The Anglo-Maratha wars continued from 1778 to 1782 in which power of the Marathas was greatly weakened as Ahmed Shah Abdali had already inflicted a humiliating defeat on them in the last battle of Panipat in 1761-In order to achieve success in these military expeditions, Hastings forced many rich princes to give him heavy bribes. Many important Indian towns like Pune and Gwalior were captured in these wars. Though he couldn't gain success against Haider Ali in the second Anglo- Mysore war, he had laid a strong foundation of the future British victories in southern India. Despite these achievements, Hastings ended up facing trial in England for seven years.what typ of man Tipu Sultan was? stim fanatic and considered him asest man, fact, TIPY made offerings in Christian churches and Hinde a his loyal subjects: He only destroyed the places of worship of his enemies. eM, Q.(a) According to source A “The British claim that Tipu was 2 M sites. He is shown as an intolerant jy Mug Ans. The source pres ants Tipu as a mix of oppt ruler who did not show respect to his non-Muslim subjects However, at in time, the source portrays him as 2 skied ruler who knew how to treat his wea t his loya Muslim subjects while punishing those who created problems for him Q4 (b) Source B: A photograph showing Tipu Sultan fighting th e Ele Describe the scene of th An: IS. The source shows that e battlefield. AnsPh, a at P.M Sie Q Why were British able to replace the Mughals as the ruling force of India? (7) Ans: British were militarily superior to the Indians/Mughal rulers. British were the first and foremost beneficiary of the Industrial Revolution and they soon began to acquire sophisticated weapons while developing other industries. They used these weapons against the Mughals who continued to reply on outdated weapons and old warfare. They had a strong sense of success. British also used non-military warfare to establish themselves in India. Their “divide and rule” policy enabled them to annex various states by keeping their rulers hostile against each other. Indians had been a divided nation and many state rulers sought British help against their rivals without considering their collective interests. Many of them were bribed or threatened by the EIC. By the state of 18" century the Mughals got involved in a luxurious style of life neglecting state affairs. Rulers of several peripheral states became autonomous and they proved an easy target for the British. Weak successors of Aurangzeb gradually distanced themselves from the state affairs that were given in the hands of greedy and selfish courtiers and ministers. These ministers were mainly concerned about misusing the state funds and filling their own pockets. They remained ignorant of the EIC acquiring military power.In 1803 the EIC army entered Delhi and shifted the foyal court from Red Fort to Qutab Saheb and this gained a major victory, Amirs of Sindh were provoked in 1843 to attack the British. This way the British had undone the damage done to their A Prestige in Afghanistan. Finally, the Indians lost the strategic north-western territory of Punjab and Kashmir between 1846 and 1849, Ranjit Singh’s death caused Political turmoil in Punjab that was exploited by the EIC. It may be concluded that the Indian resistance was an utter failure because they __ Continued to lose various territories to the British due to their own disunity and clever : Strategy and military supremacy of the British. a e fabsresistance against the Brity tne Indian in 1 sful W359 is Qut “4 ‘and 1850 ; expanding their contro} oy, oa itish (4 pres the Bro and 4 ix of a] Fin were an d a mix of succes i suocesstul Me yeen 1750 37, They nan oe cwerful Nano bet tories be’ ts against the ‘several armies er in northern pest several ‘eritory ate as 1757, i. ‘s «india WAS sucess a a irom gaining Potcal cont 5 I not have any Tor rule et f vai .ccan) also offereg sta fe thas and the rulers of Myson oon 6or Tip Sule ne ina, he Mae ties rangio-Mysore wars from 17705 rt t 2 signifi ve fn naval force got gon and the French damned rap over at Mg He, at A I rein the Wal. Ae ager ct fe ia, "He captured Camatic, or fo resist the British He defe: nu his son Tipu continu pret ee issue death in 178°, Ms roaptured Bendore and Bangalore a coe fon ae ne Anglo-Mysore war ended in 1784 under the ies, “(use of propaganda against Tipu) 2 3 Anglo-M ise a ee ee one s Me er yeetod in Tee ipu. He provoked Ti ne esse the Bitsy and the war lasted for about two years. Tipu Was initial successful but later had to accept the Treaty of Serangapatam in 1792. ‘The Marathas also gave very tough time to the British in the first Anglo-Mysore war, 1775-1782. Lord Hastings policy of handling Marathas was quite defective that emboldened Marathas. Marathon power continued to resist British till1818, ‘unjab, Raja Ranjit Singh became a need for > ‘nnorth-westem India, the Sikh ruler of Pt ‘he British due to his own power as well as the strate needed him to counter the Russian threat throuc tegic location of Punjab. British igh Afghanistan. Moreover, the defeat a = 3S g 3 & 2 3 @ gained a Hered by Indians wasreforms have @ more important effect on the us and economic ones introg, lu social, religio' ars 1773 to 1856? pid educational Indians than the py the British during the ye Explain your answer. rans: erfch established themes in In a dia through their educational reforms, g tie i f their culture, ied a firm belief in the superiority 0} culture, especialy qe had cai eiem, According to @ Bris inty Pin 1635, "a single shelf of ee sc irary wes worth the whole T= literature of India and Arabia’ g, fat sified in holding such views 28 they had emerged a miltary giant ge scientifically advanced due to their success in science and technology, ™ ‘considered it their duty to spread their superior culture. hey rey inveduced English 8s the oficial language 1834 and gradually popu Thay fnostucaton system. This scheme was master-minded Dy Thomas Babin? Macaulay. Several schools, many run by Christian missionaries, were trough na, 1820 ‘onwards. These steps had a westernising effect on ind * esi it inwardly as they thought the British were trying to impose pet British also took steps to i Hindu custom of ee inode cer social reforms. They abolished Sattee lee the cremation of her husband. jeer lel ce td ritual of killing their victims in the nar 7 fcrrety hss he com had erfec Hindus end Muss ak step at male infanticide (ili ad terfied Hindus and Muslim bes Sead es ing baby daughters) was ims alike. In 1795 Geared as an act of murder. Most Hindus abolished by the EIC and it was 'y considered. th resisted this was, these British act: and the ban on Sat is as direct interfe tte terference with the local religious and cultural | tradition: good effect on indian Ite vormually,howen ‘i ver, these Britis sh attempts had a he EIC army lose caste i a—_ . 4 Indians fully loyal to the British, These Indians opposed any uprising against their new rulers. Q: Was the work of the Christian missionaries the most important j reason why the Indians opposed British attempts to westernize them between 1750 and 1850? Explain your answer. (10) Ans. Christian missionaries came to India to spread Christianity by various means. 1833 onwards, the activity of the Christian missionaries became more visible. They were seen at all public places, distributing the Christian literature freely. They enjoyed the support of the EIC. Several missionary schools were set up in all the major Indian towns where teaching of the Bible to the local students was introduced. In these schools the missionaries taught Christianity and expected local religions to be given up which was resented by Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs alike. Gradually, the British began to develop the belief that their Christian values made them superior to the local faith followed by the Indians: Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism. As @ result the ruling British community in India began to show intolerance towards the local religions. Many Indians started believing that an alien culture was being imposed on them. So, not many Indians changed their religion. However, there were other reasons why the Indians opposed the British attempts to westernize them. The British replaced Persian and Sanskrit with English as the official language in the 1830's. This deeply upset both the Musiims and Hindus 2s these had been the popular languages of India for centuries. Therefore, they felt the native languages might be adversaly affected by English because language has always been a very effective tool of the ruling elite. The British introduced @ number of social reforms without consultation or care for local feeling which caused much unrest. Modem British education was resisted by the Indians, Moreover, they were required to send their children to. co-educational schools which was hated since it appeared to impose the British traditions on the Indians without due regard to thelr religious and cultural feelings. Thomas Macaulay believed in the superiority of the European advancement in knowledge and therefore, he looked down upon the Indians and the Arabic education system. Not surprisingly, a Brtish official in 1836 remarked , “A single shelf of a good European library was a Bih the whole native Iterature of India and Arabia.” Such ideas, generated vontment among Indians against the British. They were more infuriated when they resent ceed to abandon ‘purdhal/Hejab which had been an Indian custom for centuries. The Muslim community, in particular, opposed such steps as they, went fur | teachings of Islam. ox against the fundamental 95 Mi auth to spare, but Horie erect ing a widow alive rst in Bengal and Some of the Hindu fas litle opposition to the of the widow remarriage