19th Century Social and Religious Reform Movements in India

Social and Religious Reform Movements: The Indian subcontinent in the 19th century witnessed a series of reforms that aimed at rebuilding Indian society along modern beliefs and thought processes, the aim was to modernize Indian society via social restructuring.

The Indian society in the 19th century was extremely rigid and infested with religious superstitions and countless social stigmas. Several factors led to the social and religious reform movements in the 19th century, reformist and revivalist movements, and the nature of such movements.

In this article, We have discussed the Social and Religious Reform Movements of the 19th Century.

Let’s dive right in.

Social and Religious Reform Movements

Social and Religious Reform Movements

The main aim of the 19th Century Social and Religious Reform Movements was to structure the Indian society in a new way such that modern beliefs & thought processes, reshape the Indian society in a modern manner with emphasis on social restructuring. Social and religious reforms were initiated by several educated Indians (Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Swami Dayanand Saraswati, to name a few) and political leaders, who were inspired by the new liberal belief system of the West after the advent of the British Raj in India, to revitalize the Indian society.

Factors of Social and Religious Reform Movements

Several factors led to the initiation of the 19th-century social and religious reform movements, the main ones being:

• The advent of Britishers in India and the introduction of the caste-ridden style of education in Indian society exposed the decay of caste-ridden Indian society, and people began questioning the ill practices of sati, child marriage, and infanticide.
• The intellectual society growth of Indians increased after being exposed to the world outside, and the popularization of print media helped informing and educate many more people.
• Introduction to Modern Science and Doctrines of Reason and Humanism greatly inspired many Indians, and they arrived at the conclusion that religious practices and social practices are interconnected, and hence a reform in religion would bring about significant changes in society as well. The aim was to rejuvenate Indian society through religious reforms.
• Despite a large number of people still choosing to put their faith in traditional Indian belief systems, many concluded that modernism was the key to reviving Indian society.

Types of Reform Movements

Two kinds of reform movements happened in the 19th century in India: reformist and revivalist.

1. Reformist movements were inspired by modernism and aimed at internal transformation through the introduction of liberal ideas into religious practices that would in turn influence social practices.
2. Revivalist movements began reviving ancient traditions and believed that Western thinking would cause the downfall of Indian culture.

Reformist Movements

Reformist movements were inspired by modernism and aimed at internal transformation through the introduction of liberal ideas into religious practices that would in turn influence social practices.

Reformist Movements	Characteristics of the reform movement
BRAHMO SAMAJ	Founded by social reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy in 1828 in Calcutta, It was earlier called Brahmo Sabha, which had evolved out of Atmiya Sabha in 1814. It aimed at “purifying Hinduism” and preached monotheism. The movement was against idol worship and polytheism and condemned social evil practices such as sati, polygamy, child marriage, etc. The movement claimed to be based on the foundation of reason and the teachings in the Vedas and Upanishads and emphasized human dignity. This religious society was split at various stages in the 19th century following the death of Raja Ram Mohan Roy.
ALIGARH MOVEMENT	The Indian Muslims joined the reformist movement a bit late in the 1960s. Sayyid Ahmed Khan urged the Muslims to adopt a modern scientific outlook and move away from decadent practices. Sayyid Ahmed Khan spent his whole life advocating for modern education and working towards that, along with supporting liberal beliefs like the abolition of purdah, advocating for women’s education, and denouncing the practice of polygamy. He established the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College in Aligarh in 1875, which eventually became the Aligarh Muslim University, to spread western education. He frequently spoke out against religious fanaticism, and the liberal social movement started by him among Muslims came to be known as the Aligarh Movement. He wanted to create a bridge between Indians and British rulers and, hence, demanded Indian representation in governments. The Aligarh Movement was responsible for Muslim revivalism across India.
PRARTHANA SAMAJ	Founded by Atmaram Pandurang and Mahadev Govind Ranade in 1876,. This reform movement aimed at revising Hindu religious doctrine to reflect modern understanding and outlook. It opposed priestly dominance, idolatry, and caste orthodoxy in Hinduism. The Brahmo Samaj and its principles had a significant impact on this institution, and Ranade aimed to establish the idea of a single compassionate God by drawing inspiration from the Maratha Bhakti saints.
YOUNG BENGAL MOVEMENT	It was led by young Anglo-Indian Henry Vivian Derozio in the 1820s, and his followers were called Derozians. Derozio taught at Hindu College (1826–31) and encouraged liberal, critical, and free thinking among his students. Derozians denounced decadent traditional customs and advocated for women’s rights and education. The Derozians seemed ahead of their time with their beliefs but failed to form links with people and therefore could not create a mass reform movement.
AHMADIYYA MOVEMENT	Founded in Punjab by eminent scholar Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in 1889. Numerous schools and colleges were opened across the nation through this reformist movement. The movement advocated for unity among Hindus and Muslims and highlighted the universal and humanitarian features of Islam. Hazrat Mirza established this movement to defend and spread Islam throughout the entire world and to highlight the Islamic principles of mercy and compassion to all the people of the world.

Revivalist Movements

Revivalist movements began reviving ancient traditions and believed that Western thinking would cause the downfall of Indian culture.

Revivalist Movements	Characteristics of revivalist movements
ARYA SAMAJ	Swami Dayanand Saraswati (1824–1833) founded the Arya Samaj in 1875 in Bombay. Arya Samaj denounced caste rigidities, promoted social reforms that advocated for women’s rights, and played an immense role in encouraging the education of the masses. The main aim of Arya Samaj was to reform the Hindu religion in North India. Clash of opinions among the Arya Samaj leaders led to a division of Arya Samaj in 1893, leading to the emergence of a DAV group and a Gurukul group. Swami Dayanand Saraswati rejected any belief that was in opposition to the Vedas. He considered the Vedas infallible and considered them to be the foundation of all knowledge in the universe. He advocated for an ‘Anglo-Vedic’ education. He gave the slogan “Back to the Vedas” and started the “Shuddhi movement” with the goal of bringing the Hindus who had converted to Christianity or Islam back into the fold of Hinduism. Swami opposed polytheism and priest dominance in Hindu rituals; he also spoke in favor of education for women and inter-caste marriages. However, despite his liberal beliefs, his advocacy of Vedic supremacy gave his teachings an orthodox look, which is one of the main reasons the Arya Samaj is seen as a revivalist, as it aims to bring back the essence of Vedic teaching. Swami Dayanand Saraswati’s followers opened a chain of schools and colleges across the country to spread western education, leading to the creation of ‘Dayanand Anglo-Vedic’ (DAV) schools. Some Arya Samaj leaders, like Swami Shraddhanand, Gurudatt, and Lekh Ram, were opposed to the idea of Anglo-Vedic education and insisted on focusing on Sanskrit, the Vedic scriptures, and Aryan ideology.
DEOBAND MOVEMENT	Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi and Rashid Ahmad Gangohi founded a school in Deoband in 1866 in Uttar Pradesh. The movement focused on the upliftment of the Muslim community by focusing on religious education, aka spreading the teachings of the Quran and the Hadis. The Deobandis were strictly opposed to the Sufi practices of devotion. The Deoband Movement was also strictly against the ideas propagated by the Aligarh Movement.
WAHABI MOVEMENT	Syed Ahmed Barelvi of Rae Bareilly was the leader of this movement, which lasted from 1830 to 1960. This movement aimed to purify Islam by getting rid of all the un-Islamic practices prevalent in society. Patna was an important center of this movement. This movement took the form of a class struggle against landlords in regions like Bengal.

Nature of Reform Movements

All the reform movements gave importance to education as the foremost catalyst for social and religious reforms. There was no demand for a radical change in traditions and rituals, but rather a call to abandon the evil practices like sati, untouchability, child marriage, etc. that were being conducted.

The Indian masses in general, however, remained aloof to these reformist movements because they were restricted to the educated urban class of society.The 19th-century reformers truly set the trends for New India and its social climate, despite not having mass appeal.

facts of Social and Religious Reform Movements

The Theosophical Society/Movement

• H.P. Blavatsky, a Russian spiritualist, and Col. H.S. Olcott founded it in the United States in 1875. It aimed to promote universal brotherhood and ancient religions and philosophies.
• The society was established in India in 1879, and it reached its peak influence under Annie Besant. The society actively spoke in favor of women’s rights and denounced untouchability.
• Besant and her followers preached about the revival and strengthening of the ancient religions of Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, and Buddhism.
• Despite the movement not enjoying widespread popularity, it did wonders in uniting the educated class of Indians and instilling a sense of national pride in Indians. Various branches of the theosophical society were opened all over India.
• The Central Hindu School at Benaras, which Madan Mohan Malaviya later transformed into the Benaras Hindu University, was one of Besant’s biggest achievements in India.

Ramakrishna Mission

• The Mission was founded by Swami Vivekananda in 1897 in Belur, near Calcutta, to carry out social work and humanitarian relief. He was an ardent disciple of Ramakrishna Paramhansa and popularized his religious message of renunciation, meditation, and devotion in a way that appealed to modern Indian society. He believed the Vedanta to be a fully complete rational system.
• Swami Vivekananda traveled from 1893 to 1897 and promoted spiritual Hinduism in America and Europe. Vivekananda opposed superstitions, untouchability, caste systems, and other ill practices.
• He wanted to establish a Hindu spiritual superiority over the west; however, he also believed that Indians needed to adapt the technical advancements, organization, and ethics of the west to succeed.

Satyashodhak Samaj

• The society was founded by Jyotirao Govindrao Phule on September 24, 1873, in Maharashtra with the aim of educating the people about caste prejudice and empowering lower-caste people oppressed by Brahmins.
• Everyone and anyone was welcome to join society, irrespective of caste and class. The society also rejected the Upanishads, Vedas, and the dominance of the Aryan society.
• Jyotiba Phule coined the term ‘Dalit’ to apply to all people considered lower caste or untouchable by the Brahmins.

Tattvabodhini Sabha

• Established by Debendranath Tagore in Calcutta on October 6, 1839, it was initially called Tattvaranjini Sabha. It was one of the factional groups of the Brahmo Samaj.
• They aimed to promote a rational Hinduism based on the Vedas and Upanishads. The society spread the social welfare programs through their monthly journal, Tattvabodhini Patrika.
• Their target audience was the Bengali intellectuals, to whom they propagated their idea of a glorious Indian past with a modern rational outlook.
• Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar, Rajendra Lal Mitra, Peary Chand Mitra, Akshay Kumar Datta, Tara Chand Chand Chakravarthy, and a few other people from the elite section of Bengali society became members of the sabha.

These reform movements are just a few of the most important ones, as there were countless reform movements being undertaken by various individuals during this time period. It was in this period that we saw advocacy for widow remarriage as well.

Conclusion on Social and Religious Reform Movements

The Social and Religious Reform Movements of the 19th century all primarily emphasized adopting a modern outlook on ancient traditions, and this was only possible with education. Even though these reform movements had a limited appeal, i.e., they were only popular among the educated masses, they were a precursor to the shaping up of a modern Indian society in the future.

The reason why the reformists and pioneers of these movements chose religious reforms is because religion and society are intricately connected. A reform in religious practices would reflect in society. If the evil practices were done away with, the society would automatically become a better place. The advent of western influence and modern science because of the British Raj exposed the decaying parts of Indian society and encouraged intellectual thinking among Indians, which helped initiate these much-needed reforms in the 19th century.

FAQ on Social and Religious Reform Movements

Who was instrumental in India’s awakening towards social and religious reforms?

Raja Ram Mohan Roy was instrumental in India’s awakening towards socio-religious reforms, for propagating modern education, science, and technology, and for his relentless fight against many social evils.

Who started socio-religious reforms among Muslims?

Sayyid Ahmad Khan started socio-religious reforms among Muslims with the Aligarh Movement.

Define revivalist movement & give some examples.

Revivalist movements began reviving ancient traditions and believed that Western thinking would cause the downfall of Indian culture. Examples: Arya Samaj, Deoband Movement, Wahabi Movement.

What is the reformist movement & state some examples.

Reformist movements were inspired by modernism and aimed at internal transformation through the introduction of liberal ideas into religious practices that would in turn influence social practices. Examples: Brahmo Samaj, Prarthana Samaj, Aligarh Movement, Ahmadiyya Movement, Young Bengal Movement.

What was the condition of Indian society during the 19th century?

Indian society in the 19th century was infested with religious superstitions, caste prejudice, and ill practices like sati, untouchability, and child marriage. It was a totally rigid, redundant society in need of reform.