Discover a new perspective on Indian education with ‘Beyond Macaulay: Education in India, 1780-1860’. This comprehensive history challenges the long-held belief that the British solely imposed English education. Through extensive archival research, including data from 16,000 indigenous schools, this book reveals a vibrant, written, formal, and egalitarian system that existed prior to and alongside colonial influence. Explore how the colonial state’s policies actively opposed modern education and analyze the true impact of figures like Macaulay, whose initiatives were surprisingly suppressed. Delve into the contrasting educational philosophies of British elites, Orientalists, and dissenting Scottish voices. Covering Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, and vernacular education across India, and examining the critical events of the 1854 Wood’s Despatch and the 1857 revolt, this book is essential for understanding the complex history of education in colonial India.