Social and religious reform movements occurred throughout all Indian communities. They fought against intolerance, superstition, and the power of the clergy elite. They campaigned for the removal of castes and untouchability, as well as the purdah system, sati, child marriage, socioeconomic disparities, and illiteracy. Some of these reformers were directly or indirectly sponsored by British authorities, and some of the reformers also supported reformative measures and laws formulated by the British Government.

Socio-Religious Reform Movements

• In the first part of the nineteenth century, Indian society was caste-ridden, decadent, and strict.
• It followed some activities that were contrary to humanitarian emotions or beliefs but were nonetheless carried out in the name of religion.
• Some enlightened Indians, such as Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chand Vidyasagar, Dayanand Saraswati, and others, began to implement reforms in society in order for it to confront the challenges of the West.
• Reform movements may be roughly divided into two types:
  • Reformist movements
  • Revivalist movements
• Examples of reformist movements are Brahmo Samaj, the Prarthana Samaj, and the Aligarh Movement.
• Arya Samaj and the Deoband movement are examples of revivalist movements.
• To differing degrees, both the reformist and revivalist movements relied on an appeal to the lost purity of the religion they wanted to improve.
• The only distinction between reform movements was the extent to which they relied on tradition vs reason and conscience.