Knowledge Transmission in Pre-Colonial India

A Historical Overview

Abstract

The history of pre-colonial education in India has largely focussed on ashrams, gurukuls, and few well-known universities of ancient India. However, in pre-colonial India, knowledge was not confined only to a few grand centers or universities. There were a variety of institutions and modes through which knowledge was transmitted. The most prominent modes were temples and tols, palaces and pathshalas, ghatikas and guilds, as also the traditional family homes of various kinds of artists and craftsmen. The Indian education system continued to flourish in all these avenues. This paper throws light on the various modes and networks of indigenous educational institutions in the nineteenth century. In doing so, this paper discusses how knowledge was transmitted in a wide variety of knowledge traditions and practices that were prevalent before the institution of British colonial education.