Point out the impacts of Social and Religious Reform Movements in the
19th Century
Answers
(1) the creation of national awakening among the masses;
(2) the revival of Hinduism as a tolerant, rational religion to restore its lost prestige in the wake of Islam in the past and Christianity in the nineteenth century;
(3) an onslaught on the indignities committed on women, untouchables and other oppressed and depressed sections of Indian society;
(4) the creation of the feelings of sacrifice, service and rationalism;
(5) an attack on the hereditary character and rigidities of the caste system; and finally
(6) a sense of equality, indigenisation and co-existence of cultures and religions.
These movements responded with the time and scientific temper of the modern era and started reviving ancient India traditions and thoughts and believed that western thinking ruined Indian culture and ethos.
BRAHMO SAMAJ: Founded in 1928 in Calcutta by pioneer social reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1772-1833). The movement fought against idol worship, polytheism, caste oppression, unnecessary rituals and other social evils like sati, polygamy, purdah system, child marriage, etc. The society also strove for women’s rights like widow remarriage and education for women. It also fought attacked prevailing superstitions among Hindus.
ARYA SAMAJ: Founded in 1875 in Bombay by Swami Dayanand Saraswati, this society strove against idolatry, polytheism, rituals, priesthood, animal sacrifice, child marriage and the caste system. It also encourages the dissemination of western scientific knowledge.
THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY : Though Annie Besant’s name is most associated with this society, it was actually founded by Madame Blavatsky and Edonel Olcott in New York in 1875. It promoted the study of ancient Hindu. Buddhist and Zoroastrian philosophies. It promoted the concept of universal brotherhood as expounded in Upanishads and Vedas. It laid stress on occultism.
RAMAKRISHNA MISSION : This mission is founded in 1892 in Belur near Calcutta to promote the teaching of Vivekananda’s Guru Ramkrishna Paramhansa. It opposed the caste system and untouchability. It focused on the universality of all religions and propagated vedant.
SATYASHODHAK SAMAJ: This society was founded by Jyotirao Govindrao Phule on 24 sep, 1873 in present day Maharashtra. It campaigned against idolatry and the caste system. It advocated rational thinking and rejected priesthood. Jyotirao Phule is said to have used the term ‘Dalit’ for the oppressed castes.
YOUNG BENGAL MOVEMENT: This movement is started by Henry Louis Vivian Derozio in Calcutta in the 1820’s Derozio was an Anglo – Indian collage teacher in Calcutta and he encouraged radical thinking among his students. He critised the prevailing religious practices of orthodox Hinduism. He also inspired free thinking and propagated the spirit of liberty, equality and freedom.
PRARTHANA SAMAJ: The Prarthana Samaj was founded in 1867 in Bombay by Dr. Atmaram Pandurang. It was an off – shoot of Bramho – Samaj. It was a reform movement within Hinduism and concentrated on social reforms like inter – during, inter – marriage widow remarriage and uplift of women and depressed classes.
ALIGARH MOVEMENT: This movement was started by sir Sayyid Ahmed Khan in the 1860’s in Aligarh, UP.it focused on spreading western scientific education among the Mudlin msses in Indin .
DEOBAND MOVEMNT : This was started by theologians, Muhammad Qasim Nanawatawi and Rashid Ahmad Gargohi in 1867 in Deoband, UP . It was an anti- British movement that aimed at the uplifting the Muslims through educational efforts. The muslims through educational efforts.
SIKH REFORM MOVEMENT: Birankari movement was as started by Baba Dayal Das and Namdhari movement was tounded by Baba Ram Singh. Nirankari insisted the warship of God as nirankar and Namdhari followers wore. White clothes and gave up meat eating. Singh Sabhas started in Lahore and Amritsar in 1870 were aimed at social and religious reform through the spread of education and major contribution was in the creation of a learning through Sikh Education conference. In 1920’s, the Akalis started a movement to remove the corrupt Mahants from Sikh gurudwaras.
SELF-RESPECT MOVEMENT: This movement was started by Periyar E.V.R in 1925 and the aims of the ‘Self-Respect Movement’ were to uplift the Dravidians, and to expose the Brahminical tyranny and deceptive methods by which they controlled all spheres of Hindu life. He denounced the caste system, child marriages and enforced widowhood and he encourage inter-caste marriages.