Socio Religious Reform Movement before 1857 – Free Modern History Notes for UPSC 2025

The Socio-Religious Reform Movement refers to a series of intellectual, social, and religious movements that emerged in various parts of the world, particularly in the 19th and early 20th centuries. These movements sought to challenge and reform traditional religious practices, social norms, and cultural structures, aiming to address prevalent inequalities, injustices, and outdated beliefs within society.

The rise of Western education in India sparked a new awareness among people. British colonization revealed the flaws in Indian society, like the cruel customs of sati, infanticide, and child marriage. British rule also allowed for a free press, enabling the spread of knowledge about these social issues.

Many Indians started to critically examine their society and looked for ways to fix its problems through laws and social initiatives. While some still clung to traditional beliefs, others began to see Western ideas as the solution to India’s problems. They were drawn to Western science, reason, and humanistic values.

Additionally, new social groups like the capitalist class, working class, and intellectuals pushed for modernization to serve their own interests. This combination of factors fueled the socio-religious reform movements in India.

Raja Rammohun Roy

Raja Rammohun Roy, seen as a trailblazer of modern India, was deeply troubled by the stagnant and discriminatory nature of Indian society driven by caste and tradition. He blended Eastern and Western ideas and founded Atmiya Sabha in 1814 to discuss philosophical topics like monotheism in Hindu texts.
Roy fiercely opposed social and religious injustices among Bengali Hindus, particularly idolatry, caste rigidity, and pointless rituals. He criticized the priestly class for perpetuating these customs and believed in the teachings of monotheism found in ancient Hindu texts, which he translated into Bengali.
Roy also pioneered modern education by assisting in the establishment of Hindu College and English School in Calcutta, where subjects like mechanics and Voltaire’s philosophy were taught. He founded Vedanta College in 1825, offering courses in Western sciences.
In 1828, Roy established Brahmo Samaj, a new religious society promoting monotheism, reason, and purification of Hinduism. It emphasized human dignity, condemned idol worship, and criticized practices like Sati.
Roy’s contributions extended to journalism, with him starting Bengali weekly Sambad Kaumudi in 1821 and India’s first Persian weekly, Mirat-ul-Akhbar, in 1822. He advocated for international collaboration and faced opposition from orthodox Hindu societies like Dharma Sabha.
Roy’s associates included David Hare, Dwarkanath Tagore, and others. His efforts aimed at reforming Hinduism by removing abuses, emphasizing the Vedas and Upanishads, incorporating Western thought, and promoting human reason as the basis for religious interpretation.

Keshab Chandra Sen

Raja Rammohun Roy expanded the activities of Brahmo Samaj beyond Bengal, reaching states like UP, Punjab, Madras, and Bombay. He radicalized the Samaj by challenging the caste system, advocating for women’s rights, promoting widow remarriage, and questioning the caste status of Brahmo preachers, previously reserved for Brahmins. He emphasized universalism in religion.
His radical approach caused conflict with Debendranath, leading to the formal division of the Samaj in 1866 into Adi Brahmo Samaj, led by Debendranath, and the Brahmo Samaj of India, led by Keshab Chandra.

Young Bengal Movement

Henry Vivian Derozio, a young Anglo-Indian, led a radical trend in Bengal during the late 1820s and 1830s as part of the Socio-Religious Reform Movement. He taught at Hindu College from 1826 to 1831, inspiring students to think critically, challenge authority, and value concepts like liberty, equality, and truth.
The Derozians, as his followers were called, criticized old customs and traditions and advocated for women’s rights and education. However, their ideas didn’t gain traction due to the social conditions of the time. They failed to connect with peasants and their ideas were too progressive for society to absorb. They also struggled to maintain ties with the broader population.
Despite this, the Derozians engaged in public agitation on various issues, including demanding revisions to the Company’s Charter, freedom of the press, fair treatment of Indian laborers in British colonies, trial by jury, protecting farmers from oppressive landlords, and giving Indians higher positions in government services.

Debendranath Tagore

Debendranath Tagore was influenced by both traditional Indian knowledge and modern Western ideas. In 1839, he established Tattvabodhini Sabha to promote Rammohun Roy’s ideas independently from Brahmo Samaj. It aimed to counter the spread of Christianity and promote Vedantism, emphasizing indigenous language and culture. The Sabha published Bengali texts and attracted prominent followers like Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and Akshay Kumar Dutt. It also encouraged rational thinking among Bengal’s intellectuals.
In 1843, Debendranath reorganized Brahmo Samaj, focusing on social reforms like advocating for widow remarriage, ending polygamy, promoting women’s education, improving farmers’ conditions, and advocating for temperance. He rejected the belief that Vedic scriptures were infallible.

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar faced many difficulties in pursuing his education but eventually became the principal of Sanskrit College in 1851. He introduced the study of Western ideas at the college and welcomed non-Brahmin students.
Vidyasagar wrote a Bengali primer and helped develop a modern prose style in Bengali. He played a significant role in promoting women’s rights, particularly in the passage of the Widows’ Remarriage Act of 1856, which legalized widow remarriages. Under his guidance, the first legal Hindu widow marriage among upper castes in India took place in the same year.
With Vidyasagar’s assistance, John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune established Bethune School in 1849, the first permanent girls’ school in India. Vidyasagar served as the secretary of the school and actively advocated for women’s education. He also campaigned against child marriage and polygamy.

Jyotiba Phule

Jyotiba Phule was a prominent social reformer and thinker in 19th-century India. He dedicated his life to fighting against social oppression and inequality, particularly targeting the domination of the majority over marginalized groups.
Phule believed that enlightening women and lower castes was crucial to combat social evils. He established girls’ schools and indigenous schools for lower castes, aiming to empower these marginalized groups.
He also advocated for the welfare of widows and abandoned women, establishing schools and an orphanage to provide them with support and shelter. Phule opposed upper-caste authoritarianism and promoted gender equality, involving his wife in his reform activities.
Despite facing opposition from orthodox Brahmins, who accused him of working with Christian missionaries, Phule received support from Brahmin friends. In 1873, he founded the Satya Shodhak Samaj to educate society about caste prejudice and uplift lower-caste individuals from Brahmin-imposed stigmas.
Phule coined the term ‘Dalit’ to describe people considered lower caste and untouchables by Brahmins. He wrote several works critiquing social inequality and caste-based discrimination, including “Gulamgiri” and “Sarvajanik Satyadharma Pustak,” which emphasized principles of equality and justice for all individuals, regardless of caste or gender.

Savitribai Phule

Savitribai Phule was a significant figure in the 19th-century as both a social reformer and poet, especially known for her efforts in women’s education and empowerment.
In 1852, she founded the Mahila Seva Mandal to educate women about their rights and address social issues. Savitribai actively fought against harmful customs like shaving widows’ heads and even organized a successful barbers’ strike against it.
In 1855, she and her husband established a night school for agricultural laborers and workers who couldn’t attend during the day, along with providing stipends for them. They also started an infanticide prohibition home called Balhatya Pratibandhak Griha in 1863.
After her husband’s passing, Savitribai took over the leadership of the women’s section of the Satya Shodhak Samaj and later became its chairperson.
During famines, she worked tirelessly with her husband to distribute free food and persuaded the British government to provide relief during droughts.
She was also vocal against gender and caste discrimination and expressed her views through literary works like “Kavya Phule” and “Bavan Kashi Subodh Ratnakar”.

Paramahansa Mandali (1849)

Founded in Maharashtra by Durgaram Mehtaji and Dadoba Pandurang, the Mandali operated clandestinely, keeping its activities hidden. The founders espoused beliefs in a singular deity and were chiefly concerned with challenging caste restrictions.
The Mandali actively opposed idol worship and the caste system, advocating for social equality. Members of the Mandali even went as far as to share meals prepared by individuals from lower castes, breaking social taboos.
Additionally, the Mandali promoted women’s education and advocated for widow remarriage, recognizing the importance of empowering women in society. Its influence spread with branches established in Poona, Satara, and other towns across Maharashtra.

Gopal Hari Deshmukh

He was a renowned advocate of social reform and progressive ideas in Maharashtra, known by the pen name ‘Lokahitawadi’.
His main contribution was expanding the scope of the social movement in the region. He wrote a series of influential letters called ‘Shatpatre’ in the Marathi weekly Prabhakar between 1848 and 1850.
These letters covered a wide range of social issues comprehensively, leaving few aspects of society untouched. He boldly stated that if religion didn’t support social reforms, then religion itself should be changed, as it was created by humans.