Question

Which religious reform movement influenced nationalism in india?

Answer 1

                   The 19th Century India witnessed a strong wave of reformation activities in religion and society. There were attempts made by the educated young Indians to end the evils and abuses in religion and society. Western ideas of reason, equality, liberty and humanity inspired them. They tried to remove the defects in their culture. They wanted to revive the glory of Indian culture. Hence we call the socio-religious reform movement of the 19th century India as the Indian Renaissancemovement. Raja Rammohan Roy was the pioneer of this movement.
Causes for the Social and Religious reform movement –
Political Unity : India was politically united due to the expansion and consolidation of British rule. It led to the understanding of many common problems of the Indians. The nature of the British rule provoked many young Indians to find out the causes of their misery and degradation.
Reaction against the propaganda of Christian Missionaries : The Christian missionaries made all possible attempts to spread Christianity particularly among the poor and the oppressed. Educational institutions, hospitals, charity services and official supportwere also made use for this purpose. Therefore, both the Hindus and the Muslims made efforts to protect their religions.Contribution of foreign scholars : Many western scholars like Max Muller and William Jones rediscovered India’s past. They studied the scholarly works of Indians of the ancient period. They brought to light the rich cultural heritage of India which was even superior to the western culture. They translated many literary and religious texts. These works received worldwide recognition. It made the educated Indians develop faith in their culture. They wanted to establish the superiority of Indian culture against the western culture.
Indian Press : The Europeans introduced the printing press in India. It made possible the appearance of many newspapers and magazines. Books were also published in different Indian languages. Mostly their subject matter was Indian. It certainly helped to open the eyes of the educated Indians with regard to the national heritage and glory. Therefore they started to work for the revival of Indian culture.
Western Education : The spread of western education led to the spread of the western concepts of democracy, liberty, equality and nationalism. The Indians who went abroad came in direct contact with the working of these concepts. After their return they were pained to see the lack of awareness among the Indians about such concepts. They did the spade work for the spread of such ideas. There is no denying the fact that Indian nationalism and modernism are largely the result of the efforts of the English educated Indians in different fields of life.
The Brahmo Samaj – 1828 : The Brahmo Samaj was established byRaja Rammohan Roy in 1828. He was born in a Brahmin family of Bengal. He learnt many languages like Arabic, Sanskrit, Persian, English, French, Latin, Greek and Hebrew. He also studied several religious philosophies like Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and Sufism. His primary aim was to reform the Hindu society and religion. He wrote a number of books in Bengali, Hindi, Sanskrit, Persian and English. Precepts of Jesus Christ, The Guide to Peace and Happiness are some of them. He started newspapers one in Bengali, and the other in Persian. He was given the title of Raja and sent to England by the Mughal Emperor Akbar II as his envoy. 

                     The Brahmo Samaj was an assembly of all those who believed in a universal religion based on the principle of one Supreme God. Raja Rammohan Roy condemned idol worship, rites and rituals. But he never lost his faith in Hinduism and the Vedas. The Brahmo Samaj condemned caste, untouchability, the practice of Sati.
Effects of The Reform Movements :
1. The reform movements brought about remarkable changes in the society and religion. Initially the great changes affected a small group of people, but gradually these ideas spread among many sections of the people, 
2. The reform movements strengthened the Hindu and Muslim religions and made efforts to remove social evils among them, 3. The educated Indians started to think reasonably, 4. The reform movements helped in the revival of the past glory. They also helped in making up of a modern India,5. It led to the progress of literature in different regional languages, 6. The caste system began to lose its hold on the society,7. There was a significant achievement in the field of emancipation of women. Some legal measures were introduced to raise their status,8. To travel abroad, which was considered as a sin before, was accepted,9. The reform movements created the rise of a middle class which consisted of the teachers, the doctors, the lawyers, the scientists, and the journalists who helped in the progress of India in different fields, and 10. The reform movements also contributed for the growth of Indian Nationalism as the reform activities united the people all over India and created a feeling of oneness.