The religious and social reforms had significant roles in Indian history in the 19th Century. Various factors were responsible for the beginning of religious and social changes in India and it is known as Renaissance Period. Indian society was replete with evil like Untouchability, Sati system, the plight of Dalits, human sacrifices, custom drinking, etc which let the society to the verge of degeneration The situation forced the intellectual Indians to begin a reform movement. https://www.themiku.in/

1. Social and Religious
Reform Movements
-Pratishtha Pawar
www.themiku.in/

2. The religious and social reforms had significant roles in Indian history
in the 19th Century.
Various factors were responsible for beginning of religious and social
changes in India and it is known as Renaissance Period.
Indian society was replete with evil like Untouchability, Sati system,
plight of dalits, human sacrifices, custom drinking etc which let the
society to the verge of degeneration
The situation forced the intellectual India Indians to begin a reform
movement.
Introduction

3. Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Brahma Samaj
Raja Ram Mohan Roy was The pioneer of Reform movement.
He is called the father of social reforms in India.
His ideas had greater impact on the Reform Movement in 19th century.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy founded the Brahma Samaj in 20 August 1828.
The member of the ''Samaj'' gathered on every Saturday to decide the
'Upanishad'
After studying religious literature of different religions, He came to the
conclusion that all religious had One God.
He wrote book in Bengali, Hindo, Sanskrit persian and English and
also started 2 newspapers, one in Bengali and the other one in Persian

4. Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Brahma Samaj
He was against Idol worship.
He was against the Sati system.
He was the stout supporter of widow marriage and education to
all.
He condemned the caste system.
He advocate freedom for humanity.
He was a great educationist.
He welcomed to the modern and Western education systems.
William Bentinck impressed by his efforts banned Sati system in
1829 and passed a law to declare Sati as crime.
He died in 1833.

5. Swami Dayanand Saraswati and Arya Samaj
Swami Dayanand Saraswati founded the 'Arya Samaj' in 1875.
He propagated ''Back to Vedas'' as they are the only source of truth. And
asked people to remove the ignorance and welcome knowledge.
His major book is ''Satyartha Prakash''
Arya Samaj played a major role in the social, religious, literary and
educational field in India
He passed away at the age of 59 years.
The childhood name of Dayanand Saraswati was Mulshankar
He was the first to compaign for spread of Hindi and pleaded for Swarajya
The Arya Samaj opposed child marriage and supported the widow
marriage.

6. 10 PRINCIPLES OF ARYA SAMAJ
 God is the efficient cause of all true knowledge and all that is
known through knowledge.
 God is existent, intelligent and blissful. He is formless, omniscient,
just, merciful, unborn, endless, unchangeable, beginning-less,
unequalled, the support of all, the master of all, omnipresent,
immanent, un-aging, immortal, fearless, eternal and holy, and the
maker of all. He alone is worthy of being worshiped.
 The Vedas are the scriptures of all true knowledge. It is the
paramount duty of all Aryas to read them, teach them, recite them
and to hear them being read.
 One should always be ready to accept truth and to renounce
untruth.
 All acts should be performed in accordance with Dharma that is,
after deliberating what is right and wrong.

7. 10 PRINCIPLES OF ARYA SAMAJ
 The prime object of the Arya Samaj is to do good to the world, that
is, to promote physical, spiritual and social good of everyone.
 Our conduct towards all should be guided by love, righteousness
and justice.
 We should dispel Avidya (ignorance) and promote Vidya
(knowledge).
 No one should be content with promoting his/her good only; on the
contrary, one should look for his/her good in promoting the good of
all.
 One should regard oneself under restriction to follow the rules of
society calculated to promote the well being of all, while in following
the rules of individual welfare all should be free.

8. Mahadev Govind Ranade and Prarthana Samaj
Inspired by ''The Brahmo Samaj'' Mahadev Govind Ranade founded
the Prathna Samaj of Bombay in 1867
Two other active participants of Samaj Ramkrishna Gopal
Bhandarkar and Atmaram Pandurnag
The Prathna Samaj worked for improving the status of women and
advocated widow remarriage
Ranade believed that education was important in bringing about
awareness in the society and laid emphasis on women education.

9. Mahadev Govind Ranade and Prarthana Samaj
He opposed caste system and untouchability and was a great
advocate of Hindu Muslim Unity.
He started school for girls of lower classes
He founded the Deccan Education Society in 1884 and opened a
school which was later on Known as Famous Ferguson College Of
Pune.
In 1905 Gopal Krishna Gokhale also supported the Prathna Samaj.

10. Jyotiba Phule & Satyashodhak Samaj
The ongoing social reform movement in Bengal and Bombay
inspired by Jyotiba Phule and he founded the Satyashodhak Samaj in
Maharashtra and also started a school for Dalits
He opposed untouchability and launched a movement and was able
to make the society aware of the problems of Dalits,
He was a staunch supporter of widow remarriage and himself set an
example in this field
He also received the support of social reformers Jagannath Seth and
Bhaudaji.

11. Swami Vivekananda and Ramakrishna Mission
Another important social reformer in the 19th century was Ramkrishna
Paramhansa. He was born in 1836 in Hooghly district of Bengal.
By childhood he was spiritual and accepted purity of all the religions.
Declaring the Indian culture supreme, he favoured Idol worship.
All the reformers were highly impressed by the ideas of Swami
Ramkrishna Paramhansa.
His favourite disciple Swami Vivekanand later on propagated his
speeches and teaching to the common man.
Swami Vivekananda was born in a well-to-do family of Bengal in 1863.
In his childhood he was known as Narendranath Dutta. It was the search
of knowledge that led him to to Swami Ramkrishna Paramhansa and
deeply inspired him, Vivekananda established Ramakrishna Mission in
1897.

12. Swami Vivekananda and Ramakrishna Mission
The main aim of the mission was to link Indian nationalism to spritualism and
serve the society.
The mission did commendable relief work in Floods & epidemics and ran
educational institutions.
This mission respected all relgions and worship rites and honoured their
religious devotions.
He inspired the countryman to eliminate poverty and create awareness.
He believed that Indian culture was the best of all and he had to raise the
prestige of Indian culture and foreign countries.
''Swami Vivekananda was the was of the view that two youths were the biggest
force of country, he believed that the greatest worship was to provide food too
hungry knowledge to ignorant and affection have to the needy people''

13. Theosophical society and Annie Besant
Madam Blavatski and Colonel Alcptt had established theosophical society
in US.
In India the headquarter of the society was at Adyar near Madras
(Chennai).
Mrs Annie besant accepted its membership in 1889 and when she came to
India in 1893, she started working for the society in 1907. She was appointed
president of the society.
She thoroughly studied Indian Vedas, Purans Philosophy and literature and
explaining the significance of these , she made efforts to awaken Indian.

14. Theosophical society and Annie Besant
She thoroughly studied Indian Vedas, Purans Philosophy and literature and
explaining the significance of these , she made efforts to awaken Indian.
She translated the Bhagvat Gita and other religious book in English and
wrote several essays on the grand saga of Indian culture.
The society published many books of on Hindu religious system and
brought about also intellectual awareness.
In 1898 the society established Central Hindu College in Varanasi.
Propagating necessity for women education she took measure to improve
the condition of Windows and lone woman he opposed child marriage and
casteism
Besides this reformers Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Keshab Chandra Sen,
Devendra Nath Tagore, Narayan Guru also actively worked for social and
religious Movement in India.

15. Muslim society and Reform movement
The Muslim society was also beset with a lot of evils. Several Muslim intellectuals
and Scholars took up Pioneering steps in removing the evils and inspired the Muslim
society
Nawab Abdul Latif founded the mountain literally Society of Kolkata in 1863.
It played an important role in the spread of education among Muslims and also
worked for Hindu Muslim unity.
Another important name was Sir Syed Ahmed Khan who stressed on the modern
education for Muslims and try to remove the system of polygamy and dependence on
fate.
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan had to face opposition from muslim fundamentalist but he
did his best to bring the English and Muslims closer
In 1864 he founded the Translation Committee (known as science committee)
which translated science, other subjects in English book in Urdu.
In 1877 he is established Momdan Anglo-Oriental MAO college in Aligarh where
teaching of science and art was imparted in English medium.

16. Muslim society and Reform movement
The English people also co-operated in the development of college and
many teachers from England visited to educate students
Later on the college became Aligarh Muslim University. The entire
episode is known as Aligarh Movement.
Muslim from all over country contributed largely for the growth and
development of the college.
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan championed the cause of Hindu Muslim Unity but
later on he himself came under British influence.
He said that slavery was against Islam and emphasized the need of
Quranic study
He propagated his views before the society through Tehzeeb-ul-Akhalq
Urdu journal.

17. Reform movement of Parsis and Sikha
Reform movement aiming at eradication of social evils, some of which had
become associated with religious practices,.emancipation of women and spread of
modern education permeated to other communities.In 1851 the parsis founded a
religious reform Union which aimed at restructuring the social condition of Parsi
society and reestablished the pristine glory of Parsi religion.
Dadabhai Naoroji and Naoroji Furdoonji were among the pioneers of religious
and social reformers of Parsi community and brought out a journal Rast Gaffar and
both played important role in the spread of education particularly among girls.

18. Reform movement of Parsis and Sikha
Inspired by the western education and Reform movements, Sikhs also
started efforts to bring changes in the society and community.
The Gurudwaras were under the control of priests and Mahants and they
treated these as their own property.
The movement was led by the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak
Committee and Akali Dal aimed at handing over the control of Gurudwara
to representatives of the sikh community.
The movement was led on peaceful lines and got people support
The efforts lead to enactment of law in 1925 which give the right of
managing Gurudwaras to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.

19. Impact of reforms on Indian society
The religious and social reforms is started in 19th century in India had
positive changes in every section of Indian society like education culture
politics social religious and economic.
Rise in interest in the study of modern education science and literature.
Rise in numbers of colleges and schools in India.
Improvement in condition of women.The Evil practice of sati, child
marriage and pudra system were on wne & important improvement in
education.
The move to return to Vedic study and culture spirit provided the stability
to the feeling for freedom and nationalism.
These reforms brought a new awakening in India and created culture
awareness.

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