Colonial Discourse and the Suffering of Indian American Children is now freely available.
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In this book, we analyze the psycho-social consequences faced by Indian American children after exposure to the school textbook discourse on Hinduism and ancient India. We demonstrate that there is an intimate connection—an almost exact correspondence—between James Mill’s colonial-racist discourse (Mill was the head of the British East India Company) and the current school textbook discourse. This racist discourse, camouflaged under the cover of political correctness, produces the same psychological impacts on Indian American children that racism typically causes: shame, inferiority, embarrassment, identity confusion, assimilation, and a phenomenon akin to racelessness, where children dissociate from the traditions and culture of their ancestors.


This book is the result of four years of rigorous research and academic peer-review, reflecting our ongoing commitment at Hindupedia to challenge the representation of Hindu Dharma within academia.

Bodh-gayā

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Bodh-gayā literally means ‘Gayā where Buddha attained bodhi or enlightenment’.

Bodh-gayā or Buddha-gayā is one of the most holy places of pilgrimage for the Buddhists and is where the prince Siddhārtha Gautama attained ‘bodhi’ or spiritual enlightenment and became the Buddha.

It is ten kilometers (6.5 miles) from Gayā[1]. The chief attractions are the Bodhi tree also known as the Bodhivrkṣa (a peepul tree) and a Buddha temple.

An edict of Aśoka is found in a cave nearby. The Buddhist Vihāra mentioned within it does not exist now and remnants can be found near the Bodhi tree. Hiuen Tsang (7th cent. A. D.) had visited this place and has left a nice description of the same.

Budha temple[edit]

The temple is 15 meters (50 ft.) square and 48 meters (160 ft.) tall and contains a beautiful image of Buddha along with Māyādevī (Buddha’s mother).

Though tradition ascribes the building of this temple to Aśoka (272-232 B. C.), the present one is likely to have been built after the 7th century A.D. and altered several times. It is also possible that the existing structure was rebuilt in the 19th century.

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Gayā is a well-known place of pilgrimage
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

Contributors to this article

Krishna Maheshwari, Deval Sancheti

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