Ārya Samāj

Return to Vedic authority; monotheism; rejection of image-worship, caste rigidity, and later ritual accretions.

Founded by Swāmī Dayānanda Saraswatī in Bombay in 1875, the Ārya Samāj called Hindu society back to the Vedas as the sole spiritual authority. Its ten principles reject idolatry, hereditary caste, and untouchability, and champion women's education, widow remarriage, and śuddhi (re-integration into the fold). It was a defining current of nineteenth-century Hindu reform and remains active worldwide.