The Dual Legacy Of The Arya Samaj: Social Reform And Communal Mobilization In Nineteenth Century North India

Abstract

The Arya Samaj emerged as an influential socio-religious reform movement that transformed nineteenth-century colonial India. Swami Dayananda Saraswati established the Arya Samaj movement in 1875 which emerged to address both Hindu orthodox criticisms and Christian missionary influence together with colonial modernity challenges. The movement wanted to restore authentic Hinduism from the Vedas by promoting a logical ethical religion which eliminated idolatry along with superstition and priestly authority. Dayananda established the movement's core principles through his influential work Satyarth Prakash The Light of Truth which condemned caste discrimination and idol worship while promoting Vedic education access to all people including women and lower castes. The Arya Samaj developed its revolutionary criticism of established Hindu social systems through these principles. Yet the Arya Samaj operated beyond its doctrinal framework. The organization implemented its conceptual framework through various institutional and social modifications. Starting in 1886 the movement founded Dayanand Anglo-Vedic schools and colleges to develop an alternative educational institution which combined contemporary scientific education with Vedic principles. The organization championed both female education and widow remarriage and established campaigns against alcohol consumption. The organization ran public campaigns that included cow protection and shuddhi and Hindi language promotion. The social reform efforts of these campaigns started to connect with communal identity politics particularly against Muslims and Sikhs. The Arya Samaj established a complex relationship with its social impact. The organization established itself as the first movement which worked to introduce modern education and fight against caste discrimination while supporting women's rights throughout Hindu society. The focus on Hindu identity combined with confrontations against other religious groups led to the development of communal politics in North India. This research investigates the doctrinal principles and social and political activities of Arya Samaj during 1875 to 1900 through its focus on Punjab and United Provinces. The analysis combines primary materials from Satyarth Prakash and Gaukaruṇānidhi and institutional reports with secondary research from Jones and Kishwar and Brass to demonstrate how Arya Samaj represented colonial reform contradictions through its dual nature of progressive internal social critique alongside external religious divisiveness. Understanding this dual legacy is key to grasping the development of modern Hindu identity and the community politics that influenced late colonial and postcolonial India.