Vedic reform organisation
 | |
| Formation | 10 April 1875 (149 years ago) (1875-04-10) Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India (present-day Mumbai, Maharashtra, India) |
|---|---|
| Founder | Dayananda Saraswati |
| Type | Religious organisation |
| Legal status | Foundation |
| Purpose | Educational, Religious studies, Spirituality, Social Reforms |
Area served | Worldwide |
Official language | Hindi |
Arya Samaj (Hindi: आर्य समाज, lit. 'Noble Society') is a monotheistic Indian Hindu reform movement that promotes values and practices based on the belief in the infallible authority of the Vedas. The sannyasi (ascetic) Dayananda Saraswati founded the samaj in the 1870s.
Arya Samaj was the first Hindu organization to introduce proselytization in Hinduism.[1][2]
- ^ Thursby, G. R. (1977). Hindu-Muslim relations in British India : a study of controversy, conflict, and communal movements in northern India 1923–1928. Leiden: Brill. p. 3. ISBN 9789004043800.
- ^ Gyanendra Pandey (25 March 2013). A History of Prejudice: Race, Caste, and Difference in India and the United States. Cambridge University Press. p. 64. ISBN 978-1-107-02900-2.