Q. With reference to educational institutions during colonial rule in India, consider the following pairs:

Institution      –        Founder

  1. Sanskrit College at Benaras      —     William Jones
  2. Calcutta Madarsa                     —       Warren Hastings
  3. Fort William College                 —       Arthur Wellesley

Which of the pairs given above is/are correct?

  • 1 and 2
  • 2 only
  • 1 and 3
  • 3 only

Answer: (b) 2 only

Sanskrit College at Benaras:
  • The Benaras Sanskrit College, now known as Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, is a historic institution in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
  • Jonathan Duncan established Sanskrit College at Varanasi to study Hindu law and philosophy in the year 1791.
    • He was Governor of Bombay.
  • In 1958, the college was upgraded to a university status, and in 1974, it was renamed Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya after the former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Sampurnanand.
Calcutta Madrasah:
  • The Calcutta Madrasah, now known as Aliah University, was the first government-established educational institution in British India, founded by Warren Hastings in 1780.
  • Its initial purpose was to educate Muslim children in Arabic, Persian, and Islamic law, preparing them for government jobs, particularly in revenue administration and the judiciary.
    • The Madrasah eventually expanded its curriculum to include modern subjects like arithmetic, geometry, and natural sciences.
Fort William College:
  • Fort William College was an academy in Calcutta (Kolkata) that taught Indian languages, literature, and culture to British officials and civilians.
  • It was founded in 1800 by Lord Richard Wellesley, the Governor-General of India at the time.
  • The college was a center of learning and a hub of the Bengal Renaissance.
William Jones:
  • Established the Asiatic Society of Bengal in 1784to encourage Oriental studies.
    • Its primary focus is on the history, civilization, antiquities, laws, arts, sciences, and literature of Asia, particularly India.
  • For roughly fifty years, it served as a significant academic hub and a unique institution that translated significant Sanskrit works.
  • Warren Hastings believed that Hindus had laws that had not changed for thousands of years. Therefore, if the British wanted to establish their rule in the nation, they had to learn these laws and the Sanskrit language in which they were written.
Arthur Wellesley:
  • Arthur Wellesley, later the 1st Duke of Wellington, spent eight years in India (1797-1805), where he developed his military skills, particularly during the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War and the Second Anglo-Maratha War.
    • He was one of the British commanders who ended the Anglo-Mysore wars by defeating Tipu Sultan in 1799.
  • His time in India included notable campaigns and a period as the Governor of Mysore.