The Occult World of Bengalis :
Subtitle: the Theosophical Movement in Colonial South Asia and its Global Entanglements 1882-1942
Publisher: UvA
Published: 2025 0521 we 14:00-15:30  defending
Place of publication: Amsterdam NL
Language: eng
Format: thesis
First sentence: The city of Calcutta was founded in the late seventeenth century and rose to prominence at
the beginning of the nineteenth century.
Table of contents: title: https://hdl.handle.net/11245.1/ef319652-a4ce-44c7-9c56-844d646b6882; title: .; title: ii; title: TABLE OF CONTENTS; title: List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………...vii; title: Summary………………………………………………………………………………….x; title: Samenvatting (Summary in Dutch)……………………………………………………...xii; title: Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………...xiv; title: Abbreviations……………………………………………………………………………xvi; title: Notes on Spelling, Italics, and Transliteration………………………………………….xvii; title: INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………….2; title: The Jacks and Jills of All Trade…………………………………………………………3; title: Colonialism, Orientalism, and Indian Religions………………………………………...4; title: The Theosophical Movement and the Academy………………………………………...7; title: Introducing Theosophical Capital: Towards a New Theoretical Framework…………..10; title: Overview of Chapters…………………………………………………………………...13; title: PART ONE: THE BEGINNING……………………………………………………...15; title: 1. Cultural Milieu in Nineteenth-Century Bengal…………………………………..16; title: 1.1. Bhadralok: The Making of the Bengali Middle Class…………………………..16; title: 1.2. Reception of European Ideas and the “Bengal Renaissance”…………………...19; title: 1.3. Mapping Out Alternative Spirituality in Bengal………………………………...21; title: 1.3.1. The Brahmo Samaj……………………………………………………….23; title: 1.3.2. Other Alternative Cultural Currents……………………………………...25; title: 1.4. Conclusion to Chapter 1…………………………………………………………35; title: 2. The Early Theosophical Society…………………………………………………...36; title: 2.1. The American Days………………………….……………….….….…………..37; title: 2.1.1. Naming the Newborn……………….……………….….….…………….37; title: 2.1.2. Early Beginnings at Blavatsky’s Apartment……….….….……………...41; title: 2.1.3. Cremation of Baron de Palm……….……………….….….……………..44; title: 2.1.4. The Theosophical Society of the Arya Samaj of Aryavart.………………47; title: 2.2. The Indian Chapter………………………….……………….….….……………49; title: 2.2.1. Arrival in Bombay…………………….……………….….….…………..49; title: iii; title: 2.2.2. Relationship with Hurrychand Chintamon………….….….…………...50; title: 2.2.3. Relationship with Dayananda Saraswati and the Arya Samaj….………53; title: 2.2.4. Olcott’s Travels across India………………………….………………..55; title: 2.2.5. Early Receptions in India………………………….……………….…..58; title: 2.2.6. New Headquarters at Adyar………………………….……………...…61; title: 2.3. The Theosophical Capital: The Key Categories…………………………….....62; title: 2.4. Conclusion to Chapter 2…………………………………….…………………69; title: Part One: Analysis and Discussion………………………….……………….…….70; title: PART TWO: THE ORGANISATION AND THE INDIVIDUALS……………….73; title: 1. Rise of the Theosophical Society in Bengal……………………………………...74; title: 1.1 Psychic Notes…………………………………….……………….……………75; title: 1.2 Blavatsky and Bengal…………………………………….……………….……77; title: 1.3 The Institutional Epicentre: The Bengal Theosophical Society………………..82; title: 1.4 Occultism of Bhadramahilā: The Ladies’ Theosophical Society………………87; title: 1.5 Adoration of Blavatsky…………………………………….…………………...93; title: 1.6 Expansion of the Organisation…………………………………….……………96; title: 1.7 Decline of the Organisation…………………………………….……………..105; title: 1.8 Conclusion to Chapter 1…………………………………….…………………113; title: 2. Unheard Voices Within: Introducing the Bengali Theosophists……………...114; title: 2.1 First Generation of Bengali Theosophists……………………………………..116; title: 2.1.1. Peary Chand Mittra…………………………………….……………….116; title: 2.1.2. Narendranath Sen…………………………………….…………………120; title: 2.1.3. Dwijendranath Tagore…………………………………….…………….122; title: 2.1.4. Swarnakumari Devi…………………………………….……………….123; title: 2.1.5. Janakinath Ghoshal…………………………………….………………..124; title: 2.1.6. Mohini: The “Eastern Chelā”………………………….………………...125; title: 2.2 Second Generation of Bengali Theosophists……………….…………………..130; title: 2.2.1. Annie Besant’s Guru: Gyanendra Nath Chakravarti.……………………132; title: 2.2.2. Jagadish Chandra Chatterji and the Transnational Networks……………138; title: 2.2.3. Sris Chandra Basu………………………………….…………………….146; title: 2.2.4. Upendranath Basu and the Independent Theosophical League………….149; title: iv; title: 2.2.5. The Networks of Mohini Mohan Dhar…………….…………………...154; title: 2.2.6. The Last Man Standing: Hirendranath Datta……….…………………..155; title: 2.3 Conclusion to Chapter 2………………………………….……………………158; title: 3. The Worthy Outsiders and the Occult Sahibs…………………………………..159; title: 3.1 The Worthy Outsiders………………………………………………………….159; title: 3.1.1. Rabindranath Tagore and the Networks of Internationalism…………..160; title: 3.1.2. The Staunchest Critic?: The Polemics of Swami Vivekananda………..164; title: 3.1.3. Sri Aurobindo and the Cross-Cultural Pollinations…………………....167; title: 3.1.4. The Theosophical Connections of Alain Daniélou and Mircea Eliade...169; title: 3.2 The Occult Sahibs and Memsahibs……………………………………………..172; title: 3.2.1. The Theosophical Couple: Alice and William Gordon………………..173; title: 3.2.2. The Viennese Homoeopath: Leopold Salzer…………………………..175; title: 3.2.3. Other Europeans in the Occult Milieu of Calcutta…………………….176; title: 3.3 Conclusion to Chapter 3………………………………………………………...179; title: Part Two: Analysis and Discussion…………………………………………………181; title: PART THREE: IDEAS IN CIRCULATION…………………………………………190; title: 1. The Theosophical Society as a Discussion Forum………………………………...191; title: 1.1. Identifying the TS’s Cultural Capital……………………………………………192; title: 1.2. Theosophical Teachings of the Bengali Members………………………………196; title: 1.2.1. Tantra – The Tertiary Cultural Capital………………………………..197; title: 1.2.2. Yoga – The Secondary Cultural Capital………………………………198; title: 1.2.3. Vedanta – The Primary Cultural Capital……………………………...202; title: 1.3.Dissemination of the Theosophical Teachings…………………………………..206; title: 1.3.1. Lecture Tours………………………………………………………….206; title: 1.3.2. Study Classes………………………………………………………….210; title: 1.3.3. Publishing Industry……………………………………………………212; title: 1.4. Conclusion to Chapter 1…………………………………………………………216; title: 2. The Theosophical Projects of Translation………………………………………...218; title: 2.1. Translation, Orientalism, and the British Raj…………………………………...219; title: 2.2. The Adyar School of Orientalism……………………………………………….221; title: v; title: 2.3. Translation as a Tool of Propaganda……………………………………………223; title: 2.4. The Bengali Agency…………………………………………………………….226; title: 2.4.1. Translating Sanskrit…………………………………………………...227; title: 2.4.2. Translating Persian……………………………………………………233; title: 2.5. Playing with Words: Theosophy’s Linguistic Capital…………………………..237; title: 2.6. Conclusion to Chapter 2………………………………………………………....244; title: 3. Theosophy, Buddhism, and Bengal………………………………………………..245; title: 3.1. Buddhism in Pre-colonial Bengal……………………………………………….246; title: 3.2. The Bhadralok’s Reception of Buddhism……………………………………….248; title: 3.3. Tibet: A Locus of Curiosity……………………………………………………..251; title: 3.3.1. Blavatsky’ s Interest in Tibet………………………………………….252; title: 3.3.2. Darjeeling’s Significance in the Occult Milieu……………………….253; title: 3.3.3. Sarat Chandra Das: The First Indian Tibetologist…………………….255; title: 3.3.4. Europeans’ Fascination with Tibet……………………………………259; title: 3.4. Bonhomie between Theravada and Theosophy…………………………………262; title: 3.4.1. Dharmapala, Bengal, and Bengali Theosophists……………………...264; title: 3.4.2. The Bengal Buddhist Association…………………………………….270; title: 3.5. Conclusion to Chapter 3………………………………………………………...272; title: Part Three: Analysis and Discussion..………………………………………………273; title: PART FOUR: IMPACT ON SOCIETY……………………………………………...278; title: 1. Theosophists and their Political Networks………………………………………..279; title: 1.1. The Worldly Attachments……………………………………………………...280; title: 1.1.1. Overlapping Membership…………………………………………….281; title: 1.1.2. Organisational Collaborations………………………………………..285; title: 1.1.3. Residues of Relationship in the Post-Independence Era……………..287; title: 1.2. The Conceptual Connections…………………………………………………...290; title: 1.2.1. The Political Use of Mahatma………………………………………..290; title: 1.3. Many Shades of Theosophical Politics…………………………………………293; title: 1.3.1. Hindu Identity Politics and Exclusion of Muslims…………………...293; title: 1.3.2. Treading the Tightrope……………………………………………….297; title: 1.4. Conclusion to Chapter 1………………………………………………………...301; title: vi; title: 2. The Cult in the Culture: Theosophy, Occulture, and Bengali Literature………303; title: 2.1. Theoretical Background………………………………………………………...303; title: 2.1.1. The “Producer” and their “Capital”…………………………………..303; title: 2.1.2. Theosophy’s Reflections in English Works of Fiction……………….304; title: 2.2. Theosophy as a Cultural Capital of Bengali Literature…………………………305; title: 2.2.1. Literary Representation of Theosophy and the Theosophists……….306; title: 2.2.2. The Plot Thickens: Debjān as a Theosophical Novel……………….310; title: 2.2.3. The Occult Zine Scene of Calcutta………………………………….312; title: 2.3. Literary Production of Occulture in Bengal…………………………………….316; title: 2.3.1. What is Occulture? ………………………………………………….316; title: 2.3.2. Normalising Séance, Appropriating Planchette……………………..317; title: 2.3.3. The Esoteric World of Satyajit Ray…………………………………319; title: 2.3.4. A Few Translated Works……………………………………………321; title: 2.4. Conclusion to Chapter 2………………………………………………………...323; title: Part Four: Analysis and Discussion…………………………………………………324; title: CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………...325; title: APPENDIX…………………………………………………………………………..334; title: BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………………...339; title: .