SSC
The Sanskrit College founded by the British Resident Jonathan Duncan in 1791 for the study of Hindu law and philosophy was located at:
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Answer: Option C — Banaras (Varanasi)
Detailed Solution
The Sanskrit College (Benares Sanskrit College) was founded in 1791 at Banaras (Varanasi) by Jonathan Duncan, the British Resident at Banaras.
About the college:
- It was set up to promote the study of Sanskrit, Hindu law, philosophy and religion.
- The British hoped that it would train Indian scholars who could assist British judges in applying Hindu law in the courts.
- It was part of the early "Orientalist" policy of the East India Company, which supported the study of Indian languages and classical learning.
Later history:
- The college became a centre of Sanskrit learning.
- In 1958, it became the Varanaseya Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, and in 1974 it was renamed the Sampurnanand Sanskrit University (Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya).
About Jonathan Duncan:
- He was a British official of the East India Company.
- He served as the Resident at Banaras (1788-1795), and later as the Governor of Bombay (1795-1811).
- He worked to suppress female infanticide among certain communities in Banaras and Gujarat.
The Orientalist approach:
NCERT notes that some British officials, called Orientalists, wanted to promote Indian learning, and believed that the British should understand and respect Indian traditions.
Other institutions of this approach:
- The Calcutta Madrasa: founded in 1781 by Warren Hastings for the study of Arabic, Persian and Islamic law.
- The Asiatic Society of Bengal: founded in 1784 in Calcutta, for research on Asian history, culture and languages.
- The Fort William College: founded in 1800 in Calcutta, to train British officials in Indian languages.
The Anglicist approach:
Other officials, such as Thomas Macaulay, criticised the Orientalists and argued for English education, which led to the English Education Act of 1835.
About Banaras:
It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, and a major centre of Hindu learning and pilgrimage on the Ganga.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Calcutta had the Madrasa (1781).
- ✗Pune and Nadia were centres of traditional Sanskrit learning, but this college was at Banaras.
Quick tip
Remember: Sanskrit College, Banaras = Jonathan Duncan (1791; now Sampurnanand Sanskrit University); Calcutta Madrasa = Warren Hastings (1781).
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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.