ABSTRACT
The 1813 Charter enjoined the British Indian government to promote ancient Sanskrit learning and to introduce English education. Hindoo College under a British headmaster was opened on 20 January 1817 by the wealthy and influential Hindus of Calcutta on their own initiative, with their own money and under their own management for the present but with encouragement and advice from the British establishment. Although the establishment of Hindoo College as a Hindu initiative was considered as a major development, its emergence as a successful educational institution began only when it came under governmental control. Hindoo College was not an edifice built on prepared ground; it broke new ground. The 1810s were a period of insecurities for both sides. The Hindu leaders were aware of the enthusiasm for English education in their ranks, but were wary of the missionaries’ attempts to try to use English teaching as a vehicle for introducing Christianity.
