Important Socio-Religious Reformers

Important Socio-Religious Reformers

Swami Sahajanand (1781 – 1830 )

His original name being Gyanashyama, founded the Swaminarayan act in Gujarat, which believed in a theistic God and prescribed a moral code for its followers.

Raja Rammohan Roy (1772-1833)

Born in 1772 at Radhanagar in Burdwan district (West Bengal) founded Atmiyn Sabha in Calcutta in 1815 to propagate monotheism and reforms in the Hindu society. The Atmiya Sabba was named Brahmo Sabha and finally Brahmo Samaj in 1828 Launched a movement for the abolition of Sati through his journal Sabad Kaumudi (1819).

Debendranath Tagore (1817-1905 )

Took over the leadership of the Brahmo Samaj after Raja Rammohan Roy. Founded Tattvabodhini Sabba in 1839 and published published Tattvabodhini Patrika a Bengali monthly to propagate the ideas of Raja Rammohan Roy. In 1859 the Tattvabodhini Sabha was amalgamated with the Brahmo Samaj. He completed selected passages from the Upanishads, with came to be known as Brahma Dharma.

Keshav Chandra Sen (1838-1884)

Keshav Chandra Sen was the leader of the Brahmo Samaj during the absence of Debendranath Tagore. He started Bamabodhini Patrika, a journal for woman. He launched radical reforms, such as giving up of caste name, inter-caste and widow remarriages and launched movements against child marriages. These radical reforms led to the first schism in the Brahmo Samaj. The original Brahmo Samaj came to be known as Adi Brahmo Samaj and the other, the brahmo Samaj of India which was established by Keshav Chandra Sen in 1866. Sen formed the Indian Reform Association in 1870. Which persuaded the British Government to enact the Native Marriages and fixing the minimum marriageable age for boys and girls.

Atmaram Pandurang (1823-1898)

Atmaram Pandurang founded Prarthana Samaj in 1867 in Bombay. M.G. Ranade joined it in 1870.

Swami Dayanand Saraswati (1824-1883)

Swami Dayanand Saraswati, originally known as Mula Shankar founded the Arya Samaj in 1875 in Bombay, wroteSatyartha Prakash (in Hindi) and Veda-Bhashya Bhumika (partly in Hindi and partly in Sanskrit).

Blavatsky (1831-91) and Olcott (1832-1907)

Madam H.P. Blavatsky, a Russian woman and Col. H.S. Olcott, an American, founded the Theosophical Society in New York in 1875, but shifted the headquarter of the Society to Adyar near Madras in 1882.

Swami Vivekanand (1863-1902)

Swami Vivekanand (originallyNarendranath Dutta )r founded theRamakrishna Mission in 1887 as a social service league which was registered as a Trust in 1897.