Negotiating History in Colonial Bengal: Bhaktivinod’s

Abstract: This article explores the relationship between historical consciousness and colonial Bengali religious thought, arguing that though critical historical consciousness may be considered unique to the colonial period, it did not seize Bengali bhadraloka religious thought as comprehensively as it is often believed to have done. It does so by examining the thought of Kedarnath Datta Bhaktivinod, a prominent Bengali bhadraloka VaiX>ava leader of the period. In his earliest major VaiX>ava work, the KPX>a-sa8hit@, we find Bhaktivinod addressing the modern concern for history and its relation to the mythical narratives o