Who was the founder of the 'Asiatic Society of Bengal'?
- (a)Jonathan Duncan
- (b)Sir William Jones
- (c)Warren Hastings
- (d)William Bentinck
Correct — B, Sir William Jones. The Asiatic Society (of Bengal) was founded on 15 January 1784 at Calcutta by the philologist and judge Sir William Jones, to promote enquiry into the history, antiquities, languages, arts and sciences of Asia. Jones served as its first president, and the Society became the fountainhead of modern Indology and Orientalist scholarship.
- (a)Jonathan Duncan — Wrong — Jonathan Duncan founded the Sanskrit College at Benares (1791) and served as Resident there and later Governor of Bombay; he did not found the Asiatic Society.
- (c)Warren Hastings — Wrong — Warren Hastings, then Governor-General, was the Society's patron and a great encourager of Orientalist learning, but he declined its presidency; William Jones founded it and became first president.
- (d)William Bentinck — Wrong — Lord William Bentinck came to India as Governor-General only in 1828 (known for abolishing Sati); he had no role in the Society's 1784 founding, which predates him.
The Asiatic Society of Bengal (1784) was the first modern learned society devoted to systematic study of India's and Asia's past. Founded by Sir William Jones with the patronage of Governor-General Warren Hastings, it launched the discipline of Indology — collecting manuscripts, translating Sanskrit and Persian texts, and studying Indian history, law and languages. Jones himself famously argued the common ancestry of Sanskrit, Greek and Latin (the Indo-European family).
The trap here is Warren Hastings, whose name is strongly linked to Orientalist scholarship as the patron. The distinction to remember: Hastings encouraged and supported the venture, but William Jones actually founded the Society and was its first president. Separate 'patron' from 'founder', and eliminate Bentinck as chronologically far too late.
- The Asiatic Society was founded on 15 January 1784 at Calcutta by Sir William Jones.
- Its aim was the study of the history, languages, arts and sciences of Asia — the birth of Indology.
- William Jones was its first president and proposed the kinship of Sanskrit with Greek and Latin (Indo-European).
- Warren Hastings (Governor-General) was its patron and encouraged Orientalist research.
- Crediting the patron Warren Hastings as the founder instead of William Jones
- Confusing the Asiatic Society of Bengal (Calcutta, 1784) with the Asiatic Society of Bombay
UPPSC & UPSC test institution-to-founder and founder-to-year pairs — fix Asiatic Society = William Jones = 1784 = Calcutta.
With reference to educational institutions during colonial rule in India, consider the following pairs: Institution — Founder 1. Sanskrit College at Benaras — William Jones 2. Calcutta Madarsa — Warren Hastings 3. Fort William College — Arthur Wellesley Which of the pairs given above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 and 2
- (b) 2 only
- (c) 1 and 3
- (d) 3 only
Answer(b) 2 only
Same theme and cast — this UPSC question tests colonial institution-to-founder pairs involving William Jones, Warren Hastings and (implicitly) Jonathan Duncan, the very names among the UPPSC Asiatic Society options.
- practice — not a real PYQ
In which year was the Asiatic Society of Bengal founded?
- (a)1774
- (b)1784
- (c)1800
- (d)1857
Answer(b) 1784 — founded at Calcutta by Sir William Jones.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Sir William Jones is best known for pointing out the common ancestry of which language family?
- (a)Indo-European
- (b)Dravidian
- (c)Sino-Tibetan
- (d)Austroasiatic
Answer(a) Indo-European — Jones noted the kinship of Sanskrit with Greek and Latin.