Gods, Guns and Missionaries: The Making of the Modern Hindu Identity

When European missionaries landed in India in the sixteenth century, they encountered a world both captivating and perplexing. Hinduism, as they perceived it, was a chaotic blend of pagan rituals, demon worship, and barbaric practices like sati (widow immolation) and child sacrifice. However, they soon realized that this “idolatry” was far more nuanced and intricate than European stereotypes suggested, even exhibiting certain parallels with Christianity.

As European power grew in India, missionaries posed a significant threat. Western ideologies gained prominence during the British Raj, while Hindu thought influenced European Enlightenment thinkers like Voltaire. This clash of cultures led Hindus to reevaluate their religion, often adopting missionary tactics in their resistance against foreign authority. Manu S. Pillai argues that this encounter has shaped modern Hinduism and fueled the rise of aggressive Hindu nationalism.

Gods, Guns, and Missionaries delves into these fascinating dynamics, featuring a diverse cast of characters: maharajahs, poets, revolutionaries, politicians, polemicists, philosophers, and clergymen. This lucid, ambitious, and provocative work offers a political history, an exploration of the mutual influence between Hindu culture and Christianity, and a study of the forces that have shaped contemporary Indian politics. By challenging simplistic notions of religious evolution and European imperialism, the past is presented as a more complex and multifaceted narrative.