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Religions and social Reform Movements of the Hindus in the nineteenth century:

After the collapse of the Mughal central authority, the various sectors of
economic and social structure which were sustained so far by Mughal rulers began to
crumble. The breakdown also affected in various other fields. In an age of political
conflict and social turmoil there was a marked turmoil in the intellectual circle to
reexamine or reevaluate the question of the age old religions beliefs and social
practices.

During the Mughal period the social leadership was provided by a feudal
military aristocracy. During the colonial rule the mughal leadership did not exist, instead
it was replaced by the new middle class who has emerged as a result of cooperation
with European mercantile patronage of British colonial rulers. So this class along with
the new Zamindars created by the permanent settlement of 1793 A.D. by Abul Fazi, who
assumed the leadership of the society. So it is noticeable that a new class of aristocracy
under British rule was born. Thus, the city of Calcutta, the metropolis of the new rulers
provided the ideal cosmopolitan setting for the confluence, clash and convergence of
ideas of all kinds. Hence, a spirit of enquiry and toleration of different religious faiths
was the characteristics feature of this age. A seventeenth century Persian called
Dabistan-e-Marahib or “discourses on religions” written by a Zoroastrian scholar had
gained popularity among this circle, his has inspired Ram-Mohan Roy to write his
famous tract called “Tuhfat-ul-Muwahhidin” or a “gift to Deist”, which was published
from Murshidabad in 1804-1805 A.D.)

In the (19th) nineteenth century India (i.e. pre 1947) (undivided India) the
society faced two district challengers:---One was internal, the other was interval. The
internal challenge grew from the breakdown of the Mughal rule in the eighteen century.
The external challenge was posed by the advent of the British rule. It brought with their
rule much more then the establishment of British rule. It was noticed that the later part
of the eighteenth century was a political decline, and it saw the emergence of new
forces which deeply effected both religion and society. In fact, the intellectual climate of
the late eighteenth century was indeed favourite for the growth of new ideas.

Where as Islam in India also had a varied history like Hinduism, it has also
shown for the capacity for responding to the demand of the time. Indian Islam is that
late eighteenth century was in ferment. Shah Walliullah of Delhi (C.1703-1762 A.D.)
initiated an intellectual movement, which aimed at revitalizing Islamic religion and
society in India in the light of contemporary challenges. In fact, the orthodoxy and
heterodoxy have always co-existed in both Hinduism and Indian Islam and have formed
integral parts of Indian religious and social thoughts. It is against this background that
religious and social reform movements of the nineteenth century. India have to be
studied. There were several:-
Courtesy by: Kaisar Syed 1
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I) The External challengers:-

Christian Missionary Propaganda against Traditional religious and social

customs. After the English East India Company had firmly established by its foothold
in India by the end of the eighteenth century. “The English Christian Missionaries
to India propagated Christianity”. Until 1813 A.D. the East India Company was
reluctant to allow the Christian to allow the Christian missionaries to come to India
because it might arouse Indian hostility against English government and the East
India Company as well. From 1813 on words restrictions on the activities of the
Christian Missionaries were removed. The many sided activities of the Christian
Missionaries were the publication of newspapers and Tracts on the establishment of
schools and colleges, but very few Indians were converted to Christianity.

II) There was the impact of English education. A section of the newly emerging
English educated Indian middleclass fully of liberal western ideas which
English educated middle class conveyed and become the harbinger of the
movement for social and religious reform.

III) Hindu Religious reform movement:-

Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1774-1833 C.) was the precursor of the religious
and social reform movement in the nineteenth century. He was born in an orthodox
Hindu Brahmin family of west Bengal (India) he received the traditional education
which was common in eighteenth century India. He was well versed in Sanskrit, the
sacred language of the Hindus but gained remarkable proficiency in Arabic and
Persian, the language patronized by the Muslim rulers. The new English rulers also
patronized ‘Bangla’ the vernacular language. Ram Mohan Roy had been in contact
with Muslim scholars during the formative period of his life. Similarly, he had
acquired a profound knowledge of Hindu religious scriptures, but with his critical
attitude he refuses to accept the irrational aspects of Hindu religions. In fact his
comparative study of Islamic and Hindu religions scriptures and knowing the works
of Sufi mystics poets of Persia, together with the Greek Philosophical works of
Aristotelian Arabic medium, had made him at a very early age to develop a
somewhat revolutionary approach towards the traditional religions. In 1804-05 Ram
Mohan established a remarkable book entitled Tuhfat-ul-Muwahidin (A gift to
Diest) which was published in Murshidabad. It was written in Russian. It was written
in Persian but its preface was in Arabic and so were its titles. In this book Ram
Mohan Roy only denounce traditional Hindu warship of idols, but announced boldly
that “Falsehood is common to all religions without “distinction”.

Between 1804 and 1814 C. he acquired enough knowledge of English and

through this medium he was able to gather knowledge of “European liberal thought”.

Courtesy by: Kaisar Syed 2

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Ram Mohan’s bold and unorthodox ideas alienated him from Hindu society. Even his
parents denounced him. So by the middle of 1814 Ram Mohan settled down in Calcutta
and assumed the rule of a religious and social reformer. He was cautions, as he did not
want to break with Hinduism but to reform it within. His mission was to call his
countrymen to discard idolatry and worship –“One True God”. He tried various
means and various ways to change the society and so he set up a society of a group in
1815, called “Atmiya-Sabha”, he also wrote many pamphlets on religious issues and
also established religious associates “The Brahmo Samaj” in 1828. He did not believe
in the divinity of Christ but believe the Jesus was a great human being. Later on his
‘Brahmo Samaj’ remained a sect of Hinduism. He was in fact a practical reformer. After
his death in England in 1833, his religious movement had a set back. But after a few
years it was taken up by Debendra Nath Tagore (1817-1905), son of Ram Mohan’s
close friend and associate (Dwarkanath Tagore) (1799-1846 c) under Devendranath
Tagore, Brahmo Samaj become active and he established another society called
Tattabodhini Sabha in 1839 which aimed at extortive propagation of new creeds in
1839 which aimed at extensive propagation of new creed. All these sabhas and Samity
become brood based under the dynamic leadership of Keshab Chandra Sen (1838-
1884 C.). Keshab Chandra Sen established “The Brahmo Samaj of India”. He strongly
condemned the Caste systems and advocated its abolition and also social system. He
also advocated its abolition and social reform. It was by his initiative that the Civil
Marriage Act was passed in 1872. It allowed Secular Marriage without religions rites.

Hindu Social Reform Movement:-

These movements in India in the nineteenth century were closely linked with
the movements for religious reform and developments of education. This was
particularly true of Hindu society. Men like Ram Mohan Roy, keshab Chandra Sen were
religious reformers, who also advocated social injustice and social reform. The work of
the Liberal Minded Hindu reformers was greatly facilitated by the Christian Missionaries
of Serampere. This marriage carried on continuous agitation both in England and in
India against such dreadful practices as “Sati” and “female incenticide” and urged the
government as suppress those through legislation.

But no reform without possible in India under a conscious through public

opinion changed of changed for the better. The Impact of English education and
Christian Missionary ‘propaganda’ produced a sense of awareness among the people
slowly. Till Lord William Bentinct became the governor-general of India in 1828, the
government of east India Company continued to tolerate “Sati”. But by 1820’s public
opinion in both Britain and India had been roused against this revolting practice. Roy
took up the cause and boldly asserted through his writings the evils of Sati and to stop it
completely by legislation. He was successful. By December 1829, a regularly

Courtesy by: Kaisar Syed 3

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(Registration XVII was passed by the governor-general-in-Council, declaring Sati “illegal

and punishable by criminal law”. Another evil practice was ‘Female Infanticide’ i.e.
murder of a girl child. Lord Dalhousie also passed the “Hindu Window Remarriage Act
(Act XV of 1856). To set an example, Pundit Ishwar Chandra Vidya Sagar (1820-
1891) advocated for Hindu window re-marriage in the society. The social evils which
existed in India in the 19th century were mostly though not all removed through public
agitation carried on by Christian Missionaries and Indian reformers and finally through
legislation enacted by the government. Finally, in the last decade of the 19th century, by
the Hindu revivalist movement the enactment of useful legislation, that is, the Age of
Consent Bill of 1891 was passed which prohibited the very young and under age
marriage and consummation of marriage before the wife had reached the age of twelve.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1857-1920), protested against it, and said “Government had no
right to affect social and religious practices of the Hindus”. Thus at the end of the 19th
century the untouchability and a few other social evils remained in the Hindu society
forever.

Courtesy by: Kaisar Syed 4