Cultural distinctiveness & some aspects of education in Midnapore in the nineteenth century
Author(s): Bhupendra Singh and Nandan Das
Abstract: India has had a rich tradition of traditional learning both among the Hindus and Muhammadans, dating back to the ages. In the medieval period, right after the invasion of the Turks, there flourished, as a causation and a continuance of traditional academicism, maktabs and madrasahs in different parts of Bengal. Gradually, while on one hand, maktabs emerged as centres of elementary learning, the madrasahs came to be, for higher learning. Often mentioned as having been centres of Indigenous elementary institutes, these maktabs were essentially what are now known as ‘primary schools. However, at the same time, these elementary institutes, besides their general academics, carried forward a religious character imbibed. Oftentimes situated adjacent to the mosques, that the syllabuses had also been formulated as a result of religious assimilation in academics, is not very surprising. This paper attempts to analyse the condition of the maktab learning and the state of the Muhammadans in Midnapore during the 19
th and 20
th centuries in colonial Bengal. An analysis of the condition of the maktabs and their modifications, since the period preceding the British rule until Independence, has also been undertaken, through what has been observed in primary sources such as Government reports, archival data, and census records.
Pages: 80-86 | Views: 203 | Downloads: 100Download Full Article: Click Here
How to cite this article:
Bhupendra Singh, Nandan Das. Cultural distinctiveness & some aspects of education in Midnapore in the nineteenth century. Int J Hist 2020;2(1):80-86.
