The Making of the Maker: The Figure of Krishna in Bankimchandra’s Krishnacharitra

Abstract

The movement against colonial supremacy in India, from the days of its origin, emphasized self-determination. The earliest of the Indian nationalist leaders—the intelligentsia of colonial India—had to assert an „original‟ identity while reacting against colonialism. Assertion of the Self was the only way to counter the intellectual, cultural and political threat posed by colonialism. This new Self had to be powerful, confident, assertive, grand and greater than the colonizer. Emphasizing the belief of a glorious and ancient „Indian‟ civilization was one of the ways in which this challenge was met. The idea of an ancient and once glorious India brought a symbolic value of resilience with it. A primordial Indian civilization became an irresistible fantasy for the early Indian nationalists. They believed that the Indian nation is a given and therefore their nationality is predestined. However, this India that was imagined (at least to an extent) but believed to have been rediscovered was unmistakably a Hindu civilization.

Keywords: Krishna, Bankimchandra, Krishnacharitra, Krishnacharita, Bankim Chandra.