The Pilgrim: Master Table of Contents

The Pilgrim magazine was the official journal of the Christian Society for the Study of Hinduism which was established in 1940. It was born from the work of the Benares United City Mission, whose central figure was R.C. Das. The BUCM offered hands-on learning about (and from) the living Hindu traditions of Varanasi. When Methodist Henry H. Presler availed of that opportunity in 1938 he was so impressed that he insisted to Das that they must organize a larger society to promote that type of activity and deeper learning about Hinduism.

The Christian Society for the Study of Hinduism which they organized got broad support from across India from both missionary and Indian Christian leaders. Its significance is seen in Dr. (later bishop) A.J. Appasamy becoming the first editor of the CSSH journal, The Pilgrim. Appasamy resigned after four years as editor due to increasing church involvements in south India that led to his becoming a bishop in the Church of South India. J.S. Moon, a British Methodist missionary, was interim editor after Appasamy stepped down, and he was in that role for three years until P. Chenchiah became editor in 1948.

Chenchiah’s resignation as editor of The Pilgrim is explained in a fiery editorial in his last issue, vol. 11 no. 2 of 1952. By this time the society was reeling and the Benares United City Mission had folded due to similar tensions (i.e. Indian or foreign leadership and how to approach “Hinduism”). R.D. Immanuel became the closing editor and The Pilgrim became largely an institutional journal of the Leonard Theological College at Jabalpur (changing its name to India Cultures Quarterly whose first issue is number vol. 15 no. 2, continuing the numbering from The Pilgrim).

Readers will note some missing issues in the collection here. No library has a full set of this journal and none have vol. 4 no. 3-4 which probably were never published. (Note this in vol. 5 no. 1 under “Apology”: We have to ask the indulgence of our readers for the delay in the production of this number, and for the gap in vol. 4). There is also no evidence that vol 11 no. 4 ever existed. Vol. 13 no. 4 and vol. 14 no. 2-4 are likewise not extant. The opening line of vol. 15 no. 1 says, “This issue of THE PILGRIM resumes publication….” So here again a gap in the publication sequence is acknowledged. Any evidence of these missing volumes will be appreciated, and if copies are found their contents will be added here.