This sandstone sculpture of Harihara (Vishnu 'Hari; and Shiva 'Hara') dates to about AD 1000. It is likely to have come from Khajurahao, Madhya Pradesh. Most of the Hindu and Jain temples at this site were constructed between c. 900-1150 by the Chandela dynasty, their ministers and Jain merchants.
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sandstone Harihara circa 1000.rediff.com
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Above image: As details of its acquisition are not available; when and from where this the Harihara sculpture was collected is a subject of debate. Further vey few of Stuart's documents have survived......
Gen. Charles Stuart's amazing vast collection of antiquities forms the basis of the British Museum's ancient Hindu and Buddhist sculpture collection from the Indian subcontinent. Now they are known as the Bridge Collection. A lot of Hindu idols more than 80% were personally collected by Gen. Stuart who lived like a Hindu . To him the Christian missionaries were ''disseminating through the public mind the seeds of distrust and disaffection.'' Stuart employed two Brahmins to take care of his collection.
After Gen. Stuart's death and that of his brother George Bridge, Bridge's relatives donated the collection of sculpture to the British Museum in 1872. Prior to that his collection was sold at two auctions in London -- in 1829 and 1830. John Bridge (1755-1834; partner in famous jewelry firm Rundell, Bridge and Rundell) bought most of the sculpture Bridge established a private museum in his house in Shepherds Bush, London. After his death and that of his brother George Bridge, Bridge's relatives donated the collection of sculpture to the British Museum in 1872. The museum officials feel that the vast collection under one roof will benefit the public a lot and help them compare and contrast cultures and understand our interconnectivity
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Maj. Gen. Charles Stuart (c. 1758 - 31 March 1828) bmimages.com
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Above image; Gen. Charles Stuart and his collection of Indian idols, etc. native of Ireland he came to India as a young man, and spent the rest of his life there as an East India Company soldier. Living in India from about 1777 to his death in 1828, Stuart spent much of his time collecting a variety of Indian sculpture of beauty and workmanship dating back to several centuries. they were collected from places such as Bihar, Bengal, Orissa and Central India. He opened the collections in his house in Wood Street, Calcutta, to the public. It also contained weaponry, costume, prints, natural history specimens and a library
Nick-named Hindu Charles Stuart (c. 1758 – 31 March 1828), he was an officer in the East India Company Army who embraced the Hindu culture and led his life more as Hindu than an Irish man. So engrossed, he read a lot of books on Hinduism and did research on his own. He wrote books and several newspaper articles raising the virtues of Hindu culture and tradition to improve their quality of life in terms of mental health and peace of mind.
He advised the Europeans settled in India to follow the tenets of Hinduism. In the biography of Stuart by V. C. P. Hodson, the author mentioned "had studied the language, manners and customs of the natives of this country with so much enthusiasm, his intimacy with them ... obtained for him the name of Hindoo Stuart". His name is mentioned in the book White Mughals (2002) written by famous Indian historian and author William Dalrymple'
What is quite surprising is he became an ardent Hindu in every aspect and never had he failed to adopt the daily religious commitment of the Hindus such as taking bath in the morning in the river Ganges at the ghat of Calcutta (Kolkata), Hindu worship protocols, rituals, etc. While off duty he would visit places near-by and carefully acquired a vast collection of Hindu gods' idols, icons, etc.
Archie Baron, another historian, taking about Stuart and the way he follows Hinduism mentions in his book An India Affair, stepping into ''the mysterious world of Brahminical Hinduism which makes 'Hindoo Stuart' a rarity even among White Moghuls.... His Hinduism was on open display to the whole of Calcutta. As far as one can tell, this does not seem to have set back his career".
Surprisingly, his religious practices, quite strange to the Europeans, never had an impact on his line of duty. Being resolute and determined, he advised the Indian soldiers to have moustache and wear Indian dress quite suitable to hot tropical country like India. In his newspaper articles written in the 1800s he advised the European ladies to adopt to saris. As for his dress, he quickly adopted to Indian dress style.
A strong advocate of Hinduism to lead moral and contended life in a civilized society, he came down heavily on the Christian missionaries and their assault on other cultures. in his book he mentioned, .......the dangers of the "obnoxious" missionaries and of attempts to convert Indians to Christianity, a process he describes as "impolitic, inexpedient, dangerous, unwise and insane". He asks "if their religion is insulted what confidence can we repose in the fidelity of our Hindu soldiers?" What he mentioned was quite true in the case of 1857 great rebellion . religion was one of the factors besides others.......
Stuart, however never stopped being a Christian and he wanted to be buried in an Anglican cemetery, albeit along with his favorite idols- lord Krishna and others. The god took the avatar ''for the benefit of mankind which he believed was "not very inconsistent with Christianity." he lived in Kolkata for more than 50 years.
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Tomb of Major-General Charles Hindoo Stuart,bcmtouring.com
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Maj. Gen Charles Hindoo stuart, South park comedy, Tomb. alchetron.com/
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Above image: Charles Hindoo Stuart's tomb at the South Park Street Cemetery in Calcutta, West Bengal. He is commemorated under that appellation on the plaque. Stuart died on 31 March 1828 and was buried with his deities at the Cemetery; his tomb was built like a simple Hindu temple.
