Anandamath, or The Sacred Brotherhood

Bankimcandra Chatterji's novel Anandamath, published in 1882, was of crucial significance in shaping a new Hindu identity as well as the ideology of early Hindu nationalism. It gripped the imagination not only of Bengalis agitating for freedom from British colonialist rule but also of leading nationalist-minded Indians. Its hymn Vande Mataram eventually became India's national song, which remains controversial in the fraught relations between Hindus and Muslims in the subcontinent.

Julius J. Lipner is Professor in Hinduism and the Comparative Study of Religion and Chairman of the Faculty Board of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of several books, including Hindus: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices and Brahmabandhab Upadhyay: The Life and Thought of a Revolutionary.