Vernacular syncretism and cultural heterodoxy in colonial Bengal: Digitisation and survey of rare archives at Maha Bodhi Society, Kolkata (EAP1546)

Aims and objectives

This project digitises endangered copies of organisational journals, Buddhist periodicals and books, housed in the Calcutta archives of Maha Bodhi Society (MBSI,1892), an organisation, founded in colonial Bengal, contributing to the unique global history of cultural heterodoxy and vernacular syncretism. Rare MBSI Journals (1892 -1946), English periodicals of Global Buddhist-Theosophy movement (1893 onward), and Pali books of South Asian Buddhism, housed in this archive, require immediate digitisation to evade extinction. Additionally, further surveys at the MBSI archive and repositories at Sanskrit Sahitya Parishat, Kolkata (1916) will be carried out for future digitisation to preserve unexplored histories of social reform.  

Project details

DOI:
https://dx.doi.org/10.15130/EAP1546
Grant holder(s):
Professor Anindya Sekhar Purakayastha
Host Institution:
Institute of Language Studies and Research (ILSR), Kolkata
Archival partners:
Maha Bodhi Society of India, Kolkata Headquarters
Award year:
2023
Project duration:
12 months
Location(s) of archival material:
India
Award:
£12,000
Type:
Pilot
Legal:

22.575513756864, 88.364401905186

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