Translating the Buddha: Edwin Arnold’s Light of Asia and Its Indian Publics

Edwin Arnold's 1879 poem The Light of Asia holds significant but understudied influence on Indian publics during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, transcending its Western reception. While often seen as a foundational text for global Buddhism, its impact in India was multifaceted, engaging diverse audiences across caste, region, religion, ethnicity, and language—far beyond its association with Anagarika Dharmapala's temple liberation campaigns. The study analyzes the poem's numerous adaptations, dramatizations, and translations, revealing how regional, political, and cultural idioms shaped varied interpretations in multilingual contexts. This work challenges the singular focus on Dharmapala, demonstrating instead a complex, enduring engagement with colonial conceptions of religion, nation, and caste.

Ober, D. (2020). Translating the Buddha: Edwin Arnold’s Light of Asia and Its Indian Publics. Humanities, 10(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.3390/h10010003