Question

what is problem with the periodisation of Indian history that James mill offers

Answer 1

Indian historians like ( like H.C. Raychaudhari, R.C. Majumdar, R.G. Bhandarkar and others ) gave raised objections to the division of Indian History by James Mill into Hindu, Muslim and British periods.
1) Why we should judge an age only through the religion of the rulers of the time. The lives and practices is all groups of people were also important. Even in the so called Muslim period there were many Hindu, Rajputs, Maratha rulers living side by side.
2) Mill divided the Indian History into Hindu, Muslim and British periods, only to show that Indian society was of a lower level in the Hindu and the Muslim periods as compared to the British period.
But nobody is prepared to agree such a notion. India was much civilized under the Mauryas, Guptas, etc.

Answer 2

Answer :

James mill divided Indian history into Hinduism and Muslim and British periods.

This periodisation is based on the religious line that there was a face for which the Hindu were the rulers and other work ruled.

Then came the face of the Muslims and Britishers i.e. Christians. He had a colonial mind and thought asians to have poorly civilized. He felt Europeans to be superior.

So , infact, through this periodisation he tried to divide the people with their own specific identity which was not a correct.

During the Muslim and British they were were thousands of Hindu and Muslim princely states.

So , this is not a proper periodisation of Indian history.

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