Mathura
A District Memoir

F.S. Growse (Author)

9789390729418

Hardback, published 20 November 2024

530 pages
24 x 16 x 3.1 cm, 1.3 kg

The Indian Civil Service community of the nineteenth century produced giants in various fields of research and publication. Among the well-known personalities who come to mind are Sir George Grierson, F.S. Growse, and Vincent Smith, to?name?a?few.

The significance of their research lies in the fact that they worked with great sympathy and love and that, despite this, their work never lost its basic objectivity. Great progress in research was made later on, but these inspiring writings form a firm basis of all subsequent researches in their respective fields.

In this book on Mathura, F.S. Growse, discusses the religious movements, caste system, social institutions, languages (including the dialectal details), the history and legends, the monuments, and even the local luminaries of the place. His work shows precision and depth and is ample evidence of his deep and continuous research of the Indian people and their culture. Mathura being the heart of India because of its geographical position and its chequered history, reflected the cross currents of Indian cultures, its art, architecture, and its rich literature. Growse found here an ample field to satisfy his quest for knowledge.

The erudition which Growse wielded is evident by the depth to which he went in deciphering the inscriptions, in checking the dates of the events of the ancient and medieval periods and in substantiating his statements by copiously quoting from Sanskrit and Vrajabhasha texts. His findings in the development of the Mathura School of Sculpture are the first serious attempt to classify the available?material?in?that?field.

The Memoir also clearly establishes the existence of a distinct Mathura School of Architecture. In short it covers the history of the area from the ancient Buddhist?period?to?the?medieval?Hindu?period?in?minute?detail.

• Chapter ! – The Modern district 1
• Chapter II – Mathura sacked by Mahmud of Ghazni 32
• Chapter III – The Story of Krishna the tutelary divinity of Mathura 50
• Chapter IV – The Braj-mandal the Ban-jatra and the Holi 71
• Chapter V – The Buddhist city of Mathura and its antiquities 103
• Chapter VI – The Hindu city of Mathura 126
• Chapter VII – The city of Mathura (concluded) its European institutions and museum 159
• Chapter VIII – Brindaban and the Vaishnava reformers 184
• Chapter IX – Brindaban and is temples 241
• Chapter X – Mahaban
  Gokul and the Vallabhacharis
  Baladeva and its Pandes 272
• Chapter XI – The Three hill-places of Mathura: Gobardhan Barsana and Nandgarnw 299
• Chapter XII – The Etymology of Local names in Northern India 318
• Chapter XIII – Pargana Topography 357
• Appendices – 407
• Glossary – 426
• Index - 435