Indomania orIndophilia refer to the special interest thatIndia,Indians and theircultures and traditions have generated across the world, more specifically among the cultures and civilisations of theIndian subcontinent, as well those of theArab and Western world particularly in Germany. The initial British interest in governing their newly absorbed territories awoke the interest in India, in particular itsculture andancient history. Later the people with interests in Indian aspects came to be known asIndologists and their subject asIndology. Its opposite isIndophobia.
Historically, Indian civilization which is one of theancient great powers has been widely regarded as an amalgamation of diverse range of rich cultures. Due to its ancient civilization and contributions, there are accounts of notable people who visited the nation and reviewed it with praises.
Philostratus, in his bookLife of Apollonius of Tyana, recognized the experience ofApollonius in India, he writes that Apollonius described:
In India I found a race of mortals living upon the Earth, but not adhering to it. Inhabiting cities, but not being fixed to them, possessing everything but possessed by nothing.[1]
2nd century Roman philosopherArrian applauded India to be the nation of free people, he cites that he found no slaves in India at all,[2] and he further added:
No Indian ever went outside his own country on a warlike expedition, so righteous were they.[3]
During theIslamic Golden Age, polymathsAl-Biruni, the founder ofIndology, authored the Tarikh Al-Hind (Researches on India), which recorded thepolitical andmilitary history of India and covered India'scultural,scientific, social andreligious history in detail.[4] Similar writings on India were also found from the work ofAl-Masudi.Muslim rule of India however mainly took place much later.
Al-Masʿūdī writes:
All historians who unite maturity of reflexion with depth of research, and who have a clear insight into the history of mankind and its origin, are unanimous in their opinion, that the Hindus have been in the most ancient times that portion of the human race which enjoyed the benefits of peace and wisdom. When men formed themselves into bodies, and assembled into communities, the Hindus exerted themselves to join them with their empire, and to subject their countries, to the end that they might be the rulers. The great men amongst them said, " We are the beginning and end; we are possessed of perfection, pre-eminence, and completion. All that is valuable and important in the life of this world owes its origin to us. Let us not permit that anybody shall resist or oppose us; let us attack any one who dares to draw his sword against us, and his fate will be flight or subjection."[5]
With expansion ofIndosphere cultural influence ofGreater India,[6] through transmission ofHinduism in Southeast Asia[7][8][9] and theSilk Road transmission of Buddhism[10][11] leading toIndianization of Southeast Asia through formation of non-Indian southeast Asian nativeIndianized kingdoms[12] which adoptedsanskritized language[13] and other Indian elements[14] such as thehonorific titles,naming of people,naming of places, mottos of organisations and educational institutes as well as adoption ofIndian architecture,martial arts,Indian music and dance,traditional Indian clothing, andIndian cuisine, a process which has also been aided by the ongoing historic expansion of Indian diaspora.[15]
The perception of Indian history and culture by Europeans was fluctuating between two extremes in the 18th and 19th centuries. Though the 19th century European writers had seen India as a cradle of civilization, their romantic vision of India was gradually replaced by "Indophobia", which marginalized Indian history and culture.[16]
Friedrich Schlegel wrote in a letter to Tieck that India was the source ofall languages,thoughts andpoems, and that "everything" came from India.[17] In the 18th century,Voltaire wrote:
I am convinced that everything has come down to us from the banks of the Ganges, –astronomy,astrology,metempsychosis, etc... It is very important to note that some 2,500 years ago at the least Pythagoras went from Samos to the Ganges to learn geometry...But he would certainly not have undertaken such a strange journey had the reputation of the Indians' science not been long established in Europe.[18]
Much of the early enthusiasm for Indian culture can be traced to the influence ofSir William Jones. Jones was only the second known Englishman to masterSanskrit, afterCharles Wilkins. His insight that the grammar and vocabulary of Sanskrit bore a resemblance to Greek and Latin was a key point in the development of the concept of theIndo-European family of languages. In February 1786 Jones declared Sanskrit to be 'more perfect than the Greek, more copious than the Latin, and more exquisitely refined than either.' Jones translated into English the dramaThe Recognition of Sakuntala ofKalidasa and published it in 1789. The Calcutta edition was an immediate success and two London editions followed within three years. Jones also discovered that chess and algebra were of Indian origin. Every branch of Indian studies owed something to his inspiration.[19]
An important development during the British Raj period was the influence Hindu traditions began to take on western thought andnew religious movements.Goethe borrowed fromKalidasa for the "Vorspiel auf dem Theater" inFaust. An early champion of Indian-inspired thought in the west wasArthur Schopenhauer, who in the 1850s advocated ethics based on an "Aryan-Vedic theme of spiritual self-conquest" as opposed to the ignorant drive toward earthly utopianism of the superficially this-worldly "Jewish" spirit.[20] At the end of the introduction to theWorld as Will and Representation,Arthur Schopenhauer claimed that the rediscovery of the ancient Indian tradition would be one of the great events in the history of the West.
Goethe and Schopenhauer were riding a crest of scholarly discovery, most notably the work done bySir William Jones. (Goethe likely read Kalidasa'sThe Recognition of Sakuntala in Jones' translation.) However, the discovery of the world ofSanskrit literature moved beyond German and British scholars and intellectuals—Henry David Thoreau was a sympathetic reader of theBhagavad Gita—and even beyond thehumanities. In the early days of thePeriodic Table, scientists referred to as yet undiscovered elements with the use ofSanskrit prefixes (seeMendeleev's predicted elements).
Scholars like Schlegel also influenced some historians likeFriedrich Creuzer,Joseph Görres andCarl Ritter, who wrote history books that laid more emphasis on India than usual.[21]
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Commenting on the sacred texts of the Hindus, theVedas,Voltaire observed:
The Veda was the most precious gift for which the West had ever been indebted to the East.[22]
He regarded Hindus as "a peaceful and innocent people, equally incapable of hurting others or of defending themselves."[23] Voltaire was himself a supporter ofanimal rights and was a vegetarian.[24] He used the antiquity of Hinduism to land what he saw as a devastating blow to the Bible's claims and acknowledged that the Hindus' treatment of animals showed a shaming alternative to the immorality of European imperialists.[25]
Max Muller delivered a series of lectures regarding the religion and literature of India. In his fourth lecture, he said:
If I were asked under what sky the human mind has most fully developed some of its choicest gifts, has most deeply pondered over the greatest problems of life, and has found solutions of some of them which well deserve the attention even of those who have studied Plato and Kant, I should point to India. And if I were to ask myself from what literature we who have been nurtured almost exclusively on the thoughts of Greeks and Romans, and of the Semitic race, the Jewish, may draw the corrective which is most wanted in order to make our inner life more perfect, more comprehensive, more universal, in fact more truly human a life... again I should point to India.[26]
Helena Blavatsky moved to India in 1879, and herTheosophical Society, founded in New York in 1875, evolved into a peculiar mixture of western occultism and Hindu mysticism over the last years of her life. Hinduism-inspired elements inTheosophy were also inherited by the spin-off movements ofAriosophy andAnthroposophy and ultimately contributed to the renewedNew Age boom of the 1960s to 1980s, the termNew Age itself deriving from Blavatsky's 1888The Secret Doctrine.
TheHindu reform movements reached Western audiences in the wake of the sojourn ofSwami Vivekananda to theWorld Parliament of Religions inChicago in 1893. Vivekananda founded theRamakrishna Mission, a Hindu missionary organization still active today.
Influential in spreading Hinduism to a western audience wereA.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (Hare Krishna movement),Sri Aurobindo,Mata Amritanandamayi,Meher Baba,Osho,Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (Transcendental Meditation),Sathya Sai Baba,Mother Meera, among others.
Swami Prabhavananda, founder and head of the Vedanta Society of Southern California, remarked that:
Toynbee predicted that at the close of this century, the world would be dominated by the West, but that in the 21st century, India will conquer her conquerors.[27]
During the 1960s and 1970s, there was a similar phase of Indomania in theWestern world, with a rise of interest inIndian culture. This was largely associated with thehippiecounterculture movement; thehippie trail, for example, was a journey that many Westerners undertook to India during this period. TheHare Krishna movementgained popularity in the 1960s.Indian filmmakers such as theBengali auteurSatyajit Ray as well asBengali musicians such asRavi Shankar gained increasing exposure in the Western world.Indian musical influence, particularlythe use of thesitar, became evident injazz (seeIndo jazz) androck music, among popular Western artists such asThe Beatles (seeThe Beatles in India),The Rolling Stones,Led Zeppelin andJimi Hendrix, among others, leading to the development ofpsychedelic music genres such asraga rock andpsychedelic rock.
In the 21st century, a notable amount of Indomania has been recorded due to India's improvement related to economic conditions, political changes, activism, etc.[citation needed]
India is the world's largest democracy. The democratic nature of its politics has led many world leaders to praise Indian politics.George W. Bush commented: "India is a great example of democracy. It is very devout, has diverse religious heads, but everyone is comfortable about their religion. The world needs India."[28] During theNamaste Trump rally in February 2020, US PresidentDonald Trump declared "America loves India. America respects India. And America will always be faithful and loyal friends to the Indian people."[29]
Fareed Zakaria, in his bookThe Post-American World, described George W. Bush as "being the most pro-Indian president in American history."[30] In November 2012, Israel's PresidentShimon Peres remarked, "I think India is the greatest show of how so many differences in language, in sects can coexist facing great suffering and keeping full freedom."[31]
Indian languages have been taught in multiple nations, including theUnited States.[32] In 2012, then prime minister ofAustralia,Julia Gillard talked aboutHindi and other prominent Asian languages to be taught in Australia.[33]
A BBC report in 2012 showed how schools in theUnited Kingdom work together with online Indian mathematics tutors to teach students in the classroom.[34]
Despite anti-Indian sentiment in Pakistan, the Pakistani newspaperThe Nation published a report on 7 November 2013, heading "Don't hate, appreciate", in which they praisedIndia's Mars Mission; the report further noted, "Wars were fought, and martyrs were born. But, it's over. We are not in the race anymore. One of us has been to the moon, and now has their eyes set on Mars to become the first Asian country to reach the milestone."[35]
In response to the mission, theSouth China Morning Post regarded India as "full of vigour and vitality, boasts obvious advantages and development potential."[36]
In 2007, a poll conducted byGlobeScan forBBC World Service reported that the strongest pro-India sentiments were found in Indonesia, with 72% expressing a favourable view.[37]
India shares strong cultural, linguistic and historic bonds withBangladesh. India supported Bangladesh's independence struggle in 1971, and Bangladeshi opinion is generally favourable to India.[38] In 2014, aPew Research Center survey found that Israelis were the most pro-Indian sentiments worldwide, with 90% expressing a favourable view of India.[39]
As per Gallup's survey for Americans' favorite countries, India was polled as the sixth most favorable nation, with 75% having a positive view and 18% negative.[40]
| Year | Positive % | Negative % | Pos-Neg % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007[41] | 37 | 26 | +11 |
| 2008[42] | 42 | 28 | +14 |
| 2009[43] | 39 | 33 | +6 |
| 2010 | 36 | 30 | +6 |
| 2011[44] | 40 | 28 | +12 |
| 2012[44] | 40 | 27 | +13 |
| 2013[45] | 34 | 35 | -1 |
| 2014[46] | 38 | 36 | +2 |
| 2017[47] | 37 | 39 | -2 |
| Country polled | Positive | Negative | Neutral | Pos-Neg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 United States | 49 | 37 | 14 | 12 |
 Germany | 1 | 33 | 66 | -32 |
 Pakistan | 11 | 62 | 27 | -51 |
 Spain | 23 | 35 | 42 | -12 |
 Mexico | 42 | 33 | 25 | 9 |
 France | 39 | 53 | 8 | -14 |
 China | 35 | 56 | 9 | -21 |
 Canada | 41 | 44 | 15 | -3 |
 Australia | 49 | 34 | 17 | 15 |
 United Kingdom | 56 | 38 | 6 | 18 |
 Brazil | 23 | 57 | 20 | -34 |
 Turkey | 32 | 44 | 24 | -12 |
 Indonesia | 50 | 18 | 32 | 32 |
 Kenya | 48 | 26 | 26 | 22 |
 Russia | 41 | 10 | 49 | 31 |
 Nigeria | 47 | 39 | 14 | 8 |
 India | 56 | 4 | 40 | 52 |
 Greece | 19 | 27 | 54 | -8 |
| Global Average (India excluded) | 37 | 39 | 24 | -2 |
| Country polled | Positive | Negative | Neutral | Pos-Neg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 16 | 32 | 52 | -16 |
| Pakistan | 21 | 58 | 21 | -37 |
| Spain | 20 | 50 | 30 | -30 |
 Israel | 9 | 34 | 57 | -25 |
| Mexico | 26 | 37 | 37 | -11 |
 South Korea | 36 | 47 | 17 | -11 |
| France | 40 | 49 | 11 | -9 |
| China | 27 | 35 | 38 | -8 |
| Canada | 38 | 46 | 16 | -8 |
 Peru | 26 | 31 | 43 | -5 |
| Australia | 44 | 46 | 10 | -2 |
| United Kingdom | 45 | 46 | 9 | -1 |
| Brazil | 41 | 36 | 23 | 5 |
| Turkey | 35 | 29 | 36 | 6 |
 Chile | 35 | 21 | 44 | 14 |
| Indonesia | 47 | 24 | 29 | 23 |
 Japan | 34 | 9 | 57 | 25 |
| Kenya | 53 | 23 | 24 | 30 |
 Ghana | 53 | 22 | 25 | 31 |
| Russia | 45 | 9 | 46 | 36 |
| Nigeria | 64 | 22 | 14 | 42 |
The international polling firm GlobeScan, which was commissioned by the BBC World Service to conduct the survey.
| Country polled | Positive | Negative | Neutral | Pos-Neg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | 61 | 39 | - | +22 |
| Canada | 59 | 30 | 11 | +29 |
| France | 40 | 30 | 11 | +10 |
| Germany | 39 | 30 | 11 | +9 |
| United Kingdom | 47 | 50 | 30 | -3 |
| Russia | 26 | 37 | 37 | -11 |
| Nigeria | 36 | 47 | 17 | -11 |
| Brazil | 40 | 49 | 11 | -9 |
 Portugal | 27 | 35 | 38 | -8 |
 Hungary | 38 | 46 | 16 | -8 |
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