About this Book
First Edition, An extremely scarce work in English describing the principles of Hindu jurisprudence, to facilitate English colonial rule in India and expand the trading empire on a strong legal foundation. It is a translation from the Vivadarnavasetu, a digest of Hindu law in 21 sections (taranga). This work was compiled for Warren Hastings, the governor-general of the East India Company and the plates were possibly compiled at the type foundry of Panchanan Karmakar of Serampore. The pandits (pundats) are Banesvara, Kriparama, Rama Gopala, Krishnajivana, Viresvara, Krishnacandra, Guarikanta, Kalisankara, Syamasundara, Krishnakesava and Sitarama. The plates depict examples of the original Sanskrit texts. Halhed is immortalized in the history of Indian printmaking for A Grammar of the Bengal Language published in 1778.
