When people fought collectively to oppose the British in various movements and struggles, the feeling of nationalism was born. Nationalism also grew as a result of various literary and artistic activities. The idea of India came to be associated with the image of ‘Bharat Mata’. This was first created by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. His song ‘Vande Mataram’ in his novel Anandamath inspired the feeling of nationalism in the hearts of millions of Indians. Nationalism also developed through movements which attempted to revive Indian folklore. In the late nineteenth century, many nationalists visited villages to collect accounts of folklore. Rabindranath Tagore himself collected many folksongs and ballads in order to inspire people with the feeling of nationalism. The tricolour flag became a symbol of Indian nationalism. In the nineteenth century, many Indian historians began to write about the glorious past of the country. They contested the claims of the British historians who had asserted that the Indians were primitive and never had any great culture.