Nineteenth-Century Social and Religious Reform Movements

India has experienced several religions and has been ruled by various ethnic groups over the years. Throughout the 19th century, the nation experienced social and religious reformers that irreversibly altered the country’s trajectory. Some key events occurred solely to reform the country’s popular social and religious beliefs, which needed to be dismantled for the country to progress. The primary goal of the reform movement would have been to educate the public about unethical actions that harm not just humans but animals. Raja Ram Mohan Roy was the driving force behind these 19th-century social and religious reform movements; his efforts improved society and set the path for future revolutionary movements.

Features of Social Religious Reform Movements

Before the social and religious reform movements, we were laden with rigid superstitions and harmful practices in the name of religion. The Britisher’s influence on society helped advance the reform movements of the country.

• All the reformers promoted the idea of one God and the fundamental oneness of all religions. As a result, they attempted to bridge the gap between various theological ideas.

• Priesthood, rites, idolatry, and polytheism were all opposed by the reformers. These reform movements’ humanitarian side was emphasised in their attacks on the caste system and the practice of child marriage.

• The reformers aimed to improve women’s and girls’ status in society. All of them emphasised the importance of female education.

• The reformers contributed to the unification of India’s people by challenging the caste system and untouchability.

• Indians gained self-respect, self-reliance, and patriotism due to the reform movements.

Social Religious Reform Movements In The 19th Century

In the first half of the nineteenth century, the country was riddled with various superstitions, caste obligations and rigid practices of the religions; these were imposed upon the society in the name of religion. Most of these practices were not in favour of the people or followed the values of being a humanitarian; the superstitions of the society were mostly brutal on the people of the society.

Humanitarians like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Dayanand Saraswati and Ishwar Chand Vidyasagar were the first reformers and the voices who stood against the tribulations of the society.

The practices such as Sati, female infanticide, the boycott of widows, and child marriage in the society were prevalent. And superstitions like animal sacrifice, Idolatry, physical torture to please the Gods et cetera were challenged by the reformers with their faith in their religion. They referred to the ancient texts of Hinduism, which showed no existence of such painful and depressing practices, these practices were not rational from any point of view. The reformers were instrumental in getting rid of society’s harmful and violent practices through rationality and modernisation; some important reforming movements are listed below to help understand their contributions to society.

Brahmo Samaj Movement

Brahmo Samaj was the child of Raja Ram Mohan Roy, and he first established it as Brahmo Sabha in 1828; Raja Ram Mohan Roy first placed the foundation of the movement in Bengal. The purpose of establishing it was to eliminate societal abominations like Sati Pratha, female infanticide, priesthood and child marriages. Brahmo Samaj movement was the country’s first reform movement with enlightenment and the thought of being rational. Based on the teachings of Vedas and Upnishads, Brahmo Samaj promoted monotheism and encouraged the purification of Hinduism from baseless superstitions.

Arya Samaj Movement

Swami Dayanand Saraswati founded the Arya Samaj organisation with reform in mind in 1875 in Bombay. The members of this organisation included people like Lala Lajpat Rai and Lala Hansraj. The Arya Samaj reform movement was made to oppose things like worshipping of Idols, animal sacrifices and priesthood and this reform movement encouraged people to believe in one God only. The purpose of this movement was a reaction against the western influence prevailing in the country. Arya Samaj also focused on getting rid of child marriages, supporting the education of females and getting the widows their right to live in the society and the freedom to get remarried. Arya Samaj, specifically its founder, Dayanand Saraswati, believed that Vedas were the influence on modern scientific inventions and such.

Ahmadiyya Movement

Ahmadiyya Movement was an Islamic revivalist movement started by Mirza Ghulam Ahmed Qadian in 1889. The chief purpose of this movement was to educate the Muslim youth and fight against the verbal attacks thrown at the Islamic community by the Christian missionaries and the Arya Samaj members. Mirza Ghulam Ahmed Qadian was mostly influenced by the liberalism of the Westerners and the revolutionary reform movements held by the Hindus. The Ahmadiyya movement was instrumental in providing the Muslim youth and the older generations with western education and their teachings. The movement also stood against the practice of jihad.

Conclusion 

The social and religious reform movement began in India in the 19th century to eliminate the ills of society and the blind superstitions followed by the people of the society. The reform was needed in the presence of British rulers trying to westernise the country; hence most of the reforming movements and their chief aim was to purify their religion. There were two types of social and religious reform movements in the 19th century- revivalist and reformist movements. The reforms were similar, and the only difference between the two was the idea behind the start of any movement, whether from the place of tradition or rationality and humanitarianism.