Sikh & Hindu Revival Movements: Akali Movement, Arya Samaj

Religious Reform Movements in South Asia: The Singh Sabha, Akali Movement, and Arya Samaj

The Singh Sabha was a religious and social reform movement within Sikhism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, aimed at revitalizing and preserving the Sikh faith’s distinct identity.

The Akali Movement was a Sikh political and religious movement in the early 20th century, advocating for the rights and reforms of the Sikh community, particularly in the context of their religious places and practices.

Arya Samaj is a Hindu reform movement founded in the 19th century by Swami Dayananda Saraswati, promoting the ideals of truth and Vedic knowledge while opposing certain rituals and practices that had developed within Hinduism.

Objectives and Initiatives of Singh Sabha, Akali Movement, and Arya Samaj

It was founded at Amritsar in 1873.

• Objective of the Movement: 
• To make available modern western education to the Sikhs, and
• To counter the proselytizing activities of Christian missionaries as well as the Brahmo Samajists, Arya Samajists and Muslim maulvis. 
• For the first objective, a network of Khalsa schools was established by the Sabha throughout Punjab.
• In the second direction, everything that went against the Gurus’ teachings was rejected, and rites and customs considered to be consistent with Sikh doctrine were sought to be established. 

Impact of Akali Movement and Arya Samaj in the 20th Century

The Akali Movement was a regional movement but not a communal one. Sikh leaders of the Singh Sabha in a general meeting in Lahore in March 1919 formed the Central Sikh League. This Central Sikh League started the Akali Movement

• In its periodical magazine, the Akali, it listed following as its main objectives:
  • the goals of bringing back control of the Khalsa College, Amritsar under the control of representatives of the Sikh community.
  • liberating gurdwaras from control of Udasi mahants, and encouraging Sikhs to participate in the independence movement.
  • lending support to the non-cooperation movement in October 1920.
• The government tried its repressive policies against the non-violent non-cooperation satyagraha launched by the Akalis in 1921.

The British government had to bow before popular demands; it passed the Sikh Gurudwaras Act in 1922 (amended in 1925) which gave the control of gurudwaras to the Sikh masses to be administered through Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) as the apex body. 

The Akali leaders played a notable role in the national liberation struggle though some dissenting voices were heard occasionally. Arya Samaj, concurrent with these events, continued to influence social and religious reforms.

Arya Samaj: Reviving Hinduism and Challenging Western Influences

• Arya Samaj emerged as a Hindu revivalist movement in reply to Western influences in 19th-century Indian society.
• Dayanand Saraswati founded Arya Samaj in 1875, establishing the first unit in Bombay and later setting up headquarters in Lahore.
• Arya Samaj advocated a minimum marriageable age of twenty-five years for boys and sixteen years for girls.
• The movement was guided by ten principles:
  • God is the primary source of all true knowledge;
  • God, as all-truth, all-knowledge, almighty, immortal, creator of Universe, is alone worthy of worship;
  • The Vedas are the books of true knowledge;
  • An Arya should always be ready to accept truth and abandon untruth;
  • Dharma, that is, due consideration of right and wrong, should be the guiding principle of all actions;
  • The principal aim of the Samaj is to promote world’s well-being in the material, spiritual and social sense;
  • Everybody should be treated with love and justice;
  • Ignorance is to be dispelled and knowledge increased;
  • One’s own progress should depend on the uplift of all others;
  • Social well-being of mankind is to be placed above an individual’s well-being.
• The Arya Samaj introduced self-respect and self-confidence in Hindus, challenging the notion of Western cultural and racial superiority.
• Arya Samaj began the shuddhi (purification) movement to reintegrate converts to Christianity and Islam into Hinduism, leading to increased communalization in the 1920s.
• Prominent figures like Lala Hansraj, Pandit Gurudutt, Lala Lajpat Rai, and Swami Shraddhanand continued Dayananda’s work after his death.
• Dayananda’s ideas were articulated in his renowned work, “Satyarth Prakash” (The True Exposition).
• In the end the Arya Samaj split in 1893 over these issues. 

Arya Samaj Post-Dayanand Saraswati: Continuation and D.A.V. Colleges

• After the death of Swami Dayanand Saraswati in 1883 his works were carried on by other famous members of Arya Samaj. 
• D. A. V. Colleges: 
  • As education was an important field of the Arya Samaj, first The Dayanand Anglo-Vedic (D.A.V.) College was established in 1886 at Lahore. 
  • Differences arose between two groups in the Samaj regarding the education in the college and out of these differences the groups formed into two parties. 
  • One group was known as the College Party (some sources say ‘Culture’ Party’) and the other was the Mahatma (later Gurukul) Party. 

Conclusion: Revival and Impact of the Singh Sabha, Akali Movement, and Arya Samaj

The Singh Sabha, Akali Movement, and Arya Samaj were influential in reviving and preserving Sikh and Hindu identities. Through education, anti-proselytization, and advocacy, they left a lasting impact on Indian society, shaping cultural and religious landscapes during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

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