Was Rudyard Kipling truly a racist?

I've just finished reading Kipling's Kim and I consider it to be one of the best English language books I've ever read, although I concede the style might not be for everyone. As someone who has never read anything by Kipling before, I was most surprised by the incredibly fleshed out native characters and the number of times Europeans are depicted as racist brutes wholly ignorant of the customs and thoughts of the locals.

I've always read that Rudyard Kipling was an arch-imperialist and racist, but the detailed descriptions of Indian ethnic groups, religions and manners of thought conveyed a deep understanding of the land which seems incompatible with xenophobia and hatred. I also found out Kipling was brought up by an Indian nurse and considered Hindustani to be his first language. How is it possible that he became/is considered to be the most prominent advocate of colonialism? Was that a gradual change in outlook? Or did he consider the "white man's burden" to be something equivalent to the paternalism of a benevolent parent?

If there are authoritative books on this topic, I would appreciate any recommendations.