Indology

Indology is the academic study of Indian history and culture. In modern times Indology has been largely replaced by the term "South Asian studies", to equitably cover the multiple present-day countries in South Asia, and as such is a subset of Asian studies. The term Indology (German: Indologie) is often associated with German scholarship, and is more commonly used in German and continental European universities than in universities in the Anglosphere. In the Netherlands, the term Indologie was used to refer to the study of Indian history and culture in preparation for colonial service in the Dutch East Indies. Some scholars have attempted to distinguish Classical Indology from Modern Indology, with classical Indology being mainly focused on the study of Sanskrit, Pāli, and Tamil literature, as well as the study of Dharmic religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, and modern Indology with its focus on contemporary India. Some of the regional specializations under South Asian studies include: Bengali studies – study of culture and languages of Bengal Dravidian studies – study of Dravidian languages of Southern India Tamilology Pakistan studies Sindhology – the study of the historical Sindh region