Why Buddhism Nearly Disappeared from the Indian Subcontinent

Adding Fuel to British Orientalism and the Post-Colonialist Reaction

from Google AI:

British Alexander Cunningham was an archaeologist who operated within the colonial context of cenntury  India, an environment influenced by Orientalist scholarship that sought to understand and document the East. While his work laid the groundwork for modern Indian archaeology and established the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), some scholars criticize his methods as being part of a colonial Orientalist framework that shaped the reconstruction of Indian history through a Western lens. His "text-aided" approach and emphasis on sites associated with Buddhism, for example, were influenced by earlier Orientalist scholarship and the travelogues of Chinese pilgrims.

Orientalism and colonial context: Cunningham's work was situated within the broader field of Orientalism, a term that describes the way Western scholars studied and represented the East. This often involved a colonial power dynamic, where the colonizer documented and interpreted the culture of the colonized.

Influence of earlier scholars: His approach was influenced by predecessors like James Prinsep, who played a key role in deciphering Indian scripts and was part of the early Orientalist movement, notes Oxford Academic.

Critiques of his methodology: Cunningham's work has been criticized for its reliance on certain Orientalist tropes, such as an over-emphasis on the accounts of Chinese pilgrims to understand Indian history, notes ResearchGate.

Impact of his work: Despite critiques, his work is considered foundational to the field of archaeology in India and has been crucial for reconstructing ancient Indian history. His archaeological surveys led to the establishment of the ASI and the discovery and documentation of numerous significant sites, reports Science