Asiatic Society of Bengal
- Asiatic Society of Bengal
-
▪ Oriental studies society
scholarly society founded on Jan. 15, 1784, by Sir William Jones (
Jones, Sir William), a British lawyer and Orientalist, to encourage Oriental studies. At its founding, Jones delivered the first of a famous series of discourses.
An outstanding scholar from the University of Oxford, Jones arrived in Calcutta (now Kolkata (
Calcutta)) on Sept. 25, 1783, as a supreme court judge. The society was founded shortly after his arrival. The Asiatic Society had the support and encouragement of Warren Hastings (
Hastings, Warren), the
governor-general (1772–85) of
Bengal, though he declined its presidency. Until Jones's death (1794) it was the vehicle for his ideas about the importance of Hindu culture and learning and about the vital role of Sanskrit in the Aryan languages. Indians were first admitted as members in 1829.
Headquarters are in Kolkata. The society owns an art collection that includes paintings by Peter Paul Rubens (
Rubens, Peter Paul) and Joshua Reynolds (
Reynolds, Sir Joshua). The society's library contains some 100,000 general volumes, and its Sanskrit section has more than 27,000 books, manuscripts, prints, coins, and engravings.
The Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal is published regularly.
Additional Reading
O.P. Kejariwal, The Asiatic Society of Bengal and the Discovery of India's Past 1784–1838 (1988, reprinted 1999).
* * *
Universalium.
2010.
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Asiatic Society of Calcutta — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Asiatic Society. L Asiatic Society de Calcutta ou The Royal Asiatic Society of Bengale a été fondée par William Jones le 15 janvier 1784 à Calcutta, la capitale des Indes britanniques, en vue de… … Wikipédia en Français
Asiatic society of calcutta — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Asiatic Society. L Asiatic Society de Calcutta ou The Royal Asiatic Society of Bengale a été fondée par William Jones le 15 janvier 1784 à Calcutta, la capitale des Indes britanniques, en vue de… … Wikipédia en Français
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