Brahmo Samaj

• In 1828, Raja Ram Mohan Roy founded the ‘Brahma Samaj’.
• Through ‘Brahma Samaj, he wanted to expose the religious hypocrisies and check the growing influence of Christianity on the Hindu society.
• The Samaj was committed to “the worship and adoration of the Eternal, Unsearchable, Immutable Being who is the Author and Preserver of the Universe”. The Samaj was opposed to idolatry and meaningless rituals.
• The long-term agenda of the Brahmo Samaj—to purify Hinduism and to preach monotheism—was based on the twin pillars of reason and the Vedas and Upanishads.
• The Brahmo Samaj had the issue of widow remarriage high on its agenda and did much to popularize it. Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s efforts bore fruit when in 1929, the Sati system was abolished.