Gandhi, Buddha, Nation

At the beginning of the twentieth century, an earlier interest in Buddhism as a transnational ideal began to pivot towards nationalist framings of Buddhism as part of a call for India’s independence. Magadha—the ancient kingdom located in the present-day state of Bihar—was particularly celebrated as a “Golden Age” of Indian culture. Artists and architects began to draw inspiration from Magadha as the basis for an “indigenous modernity”: a proto-modernism discernable in premodern Indian society. Through an investigation of the work of Sris Chandra Chatterjee and Upendra Maharathi, this paper considers how Magadha became a locus for modern revivalist styles pre- and post- India’s independence in 1947. While Chatterjee’s designs became part of new institutions built across India to train and inspire a new generation of Indian citizens, Maharathi brought national attention to India’s craft and folk traditions through modern designs that celebrated the region’s Buddhist past. The work of both Chatterjee and Maharathi can be read as an expression of the swadeshi movement in India, famously lead by Mahatma Gandhi. Surprisingly, while invested in developing an indigenous modern aesthetic for India, both figures were also influenced by their connections with Buddhist communities across Asia, especially Japan. Their interest in Japan as a model for modern development, influenced the designs of both figures. Rather than challenging the authenticity of their work, such international connects were actually used to reify Magadha as the source of an Indian cultural genius, which could be revived as a model for modern development.