The Revolt of 1857 was more than just a rebellion — it was a loud reminder to the British that their rule in India was neither secure nor unquestioned. For the East India Company, it was the end of an era. For the Crown, it was the beginning of a new one. The uprising shook…
Women’s Oppression in Pre-Reform India 👉 Interestingly, upper-class women were often worse off than peasant women. Since peasant women worked in the fields, they enjoyed more mobility and sometimes the right to remarry. Upper-caste women, by contrast, lived under strict purdah and were bound by rigid customs. Colonial Intervention and Its Limits Indian Reformers and…
Reform among the Parsis Rehnumai Mazadayasan Sabha (1851) Reforms advocated 👉 Result: The Parsis, being a small but enterprising community, became the most Westernised group in India, excelling in trade, industry, and education. Reforms among Muslims Unlike Parsis or Hindus, reform among Muslims came later. The upper classes, initially suspicious of English education, took time…
Veda Samaj (1864, Madras/Chennai) Beliefs and Reforms 👉 Veda Samaj thus created a bridge between Bengal’s reformist ideology and South Indian society. The Theosophical Society (1875, India from 1879) Core Philosophy Annie Besant (1847–1933): Theosophist and Nationalist An extraordinary figure — Irish by birth, she became one of the leading voices of Indian nationalism, education,…
Now we are entering North India, where the most influential reform organisation was the Arya Samaj, founded by Swami Dayanand Saraswati. His approach was distinct from Bengal’s Brahmo Samaj and Maharashtra’s Prarthana Samaj. While those leaned more towards rational humanism inspired by the West, Dayanand looked inward — into India’s own Vedic tradition — and…
Now we have entered Western India, where socio-religious reform had its own unique flavour. Compared to Bengal, which was exposed earliest to English education and Christian missionary criticism, reform in Gujarat and Maharashtra was more gradual, practical, and people-oriented. Manav Dharma Sabha (1844, Surat, Gujarat) 👉 Like the Brahmo Samaj in Bengal, it was rational…
When we talk about 19th-century socio-religious reform in India, the story almost always begins with Bengal. Why Bengal? Because it was here that the impact of the West was felt first—through English education, missionary activity, and colonial administration. As a result, Bengal became the cradle of new ideas and the centre of early reform. And…
The nineteenth century was a turning point in Indian history. It was not just the century of colonial expansion, but also of intellectual ferment and moral questioning. Under British rule, Indian society found itself standing at a crossroads. On one side, there was the burden of old traditions, customs, and superstitions that had accumulated over…
When we think of the 19th century in India, one image immediately comes to mind: a society caught between two worlds. On the one hand, India carried the burden of centuries-old traditions, rituals, and rigid social hierarchies. On the other, the country had now come under the dominance of the British, who brought with them…
Now, this section takes us into the interpretation of the Revolt of 1857: Was it spontaneous or planned? Was it communal or united? How did the rebels articulate their vision? These questions are crucial not only for UPSC but also for understanding how different historians have looked at 1857. Let us try to understand this:…
