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Question 58 of 73 · Arrival of Europeans & Expansion of British Rule
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The Asiatic Society (of Bengal), founded in Calcutta in 1784 to promote the study of Asian history, languages and culture, was founded by:

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Answer: Option C — Sir William Jones

Detailed Solution

The Asiatic Society (later the Asiatic Society of Bengal) was founded in Calcutta on 15 January 1784 by Sir William Jones, a judge of the Supreme Court at Calcutta and a great scholar of languages.

About Sir William Jones:

  • He was a gifted linguist, who knew many languages, including Greek, Latin, Persian, Arabic and later Sanskrit.
  • He came to Calcutta in 1783 as a judge of the Supreme Court.
  • He learnt Sanskrit from Indian pandits, so that he could understand Hindu law.

His work:

  • He translated Kalidasa's play "Abhijnanashakuntalam" into English (1789), which made Indian literature famous in Europe.
  • He translated the "Manusmriti" and the "Gita Govinda".

In 1786, in a famous lecture, he pointed out the similarities between Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, Persian, Celtic and Germanic languages, and suggested that they came from a common source; this laid the foundation of comparative linguistics and the idea of the "Indo-European" family of languages.

NCERT on the Orientalists:

  • NCERT notes that Jones, along with others such as Henry Thomas Colebrooke and Nathaniel Halhed, discovered the ancient Indian heritage, mastered Indian languages, and translated Sanskrit and Persian works into English.
  • They believed that this would help the British understand and govern India, and would also help Indians rediscover their own heritage.
  • The journal "Asiatick Researches" was published by the Society.

The Asiatic Society:

  • It was supported by the Governor-General, Warren Hastings, who became its patron.
  • James Prinsep, its secretary, deciphered the Brahmi script in 1837-38, which made it possible to read the Ashokan inscriptions.
  • It was renamed the "Asiatic Society of Bengal" in 1832, and is now called "The Asiatic Society", Kolkata.
  • It is an institution of national importance.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Warren Hastings was a patron, not the founder.
  • ✗James Prinsep deciphered the Brahmi script.
  • ✗Max Muller was a German Indologist who edited the Rigveda.

Quick tip

Remember: Asiatic Society (Calcutta, 15 January 1784) = Sir William Jones (translated Shakuntala, 1789; Indo-European language idea, 1786); Prinsep deciphered Brahmi (1837).

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Arrival of Europeans & Expansion of British Rule — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Arrival of Europeans & Expansion of British Rule, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers the arrival of the Portuguese, Dutch, English, Danes and French in India, the growth of the East India Company, and the battles, wars and treaties through which British power expanded, including the Battles of Plassey and Buxar, the Anglo-Mysore, Anglo-Maratha and Anglo-Sikh wars, and policies such as subsidiary alliance and the doctrine of lapse. Typical questions ask which battle was fought in which year and between whom, which treaty ended which war, and which Governor-General introduced a policy. For example, the Battle of Plassey (1757) was fought between Robert Clive and Siraj-ud-Daulah, and the Treaty of Allahabad (1765) gave the Company the diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. Practise the arrival of Europeans and expansion of British rule questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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