Associate Professor, Head of Department of History, D.A.V College, Malout, India
Online published on 6 July, 2015.
The Arya Samaj is a socio-religious movement different in many ways from similar other movements in Hinduism. Starting as a movement of protest about a hundred years ago, it not only condemns the evils’ of traditional Hindu society such as suttee, human and animal sacrifice, idolatry, polytheism, the ban on widow remarriage, ritualism, caste rigidities, and untouchability, but also marks a sharp break from traditional Hinduism as regards proselytization. Distinctive of the Arya Smaj is its determination to stem the conversion of Hindus to Islam and Christianity. Its programmes of shuddhi (purification) and sangathan (unification) aim to reclaiming Hindus converted to these religions as well as stopping further conversion. The Arya Samaj has developed gradually into a complex organisation. It has a hierarchical structure with the Sarvadeshik Sabha (international Aryan League) at the apex, followed by Pratinidhi Sabhas (Provincial Leagues) and local, RMandirs (temples). It has leaders, officials and members, each with a set of specific tasks to be performed by them, and an apparatus for performing the tasks. The organized round of life of the Arya Samajis focuses. Upon meetings, ceremonies and rituals. They also have a shaved body of articulate beliefs and values. The Arya Samaj has been studied extensively from many different points of views. Scholars had studied its historical growth, its scope and mission, and its theology and philosophy. A few social scientists had studied its contribution to socio —religious reform and to the growth of Indian nationalism. However, all these studies were based on literary sources, neglecting the actual relations and institutions. None of them had any reference to the internal organization of the Arya Samaj, the effect it had on the day-to-day life of its members, and its relation to the wider society.
