Carpenters and Kings: Western Christianity and the Idea of India
A reappraisal of Indian history and the story of Christianity in India
Carpenters and Kings narrates how, contrary to popular perception, Western Christianity (which today includes Greek, Roman Catholic and all the Protestant denominations) was not brought to India in the colonial period, but rather was present in India and thriving two hundred years prior to the arrival of the Portuguese. The book will explain how a series of political events in the Middle-East, including the Crusades and the arrival of the Mongols, created a Cold War-like situation where the West tried to expand its ideological footprint to India and China, to battle Islam, in the process bringing Western Christianity to the subcontinent. The book will therefore lead to a re-appraisal of some aspects of Indian history as traditionally understood, and will be of interest both in India and in the West, among lay readers, history students and historians.
