Arya Samaj
Arya Samaj (Hindi: आर्य समाज, lit. 'Noble Society', IAST: Ārya Samāja) is a monotheistic Indian Hindu reform movement that promotes values and practices based on the belief in the infallible authority of the Vedas. The samaj was founded by the sannyasi (ascetic) Dayanand Saraswati in the 1870s.
Formation
10 April 1875
Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India (present-day Mumbai, Maharashtra, India)
Educational, Religious studies, Spirituality, Social Reforms
Worldwide
Arya Samaj was the first Hindu organization to introduce proselytization in Hinduism.[1][2] The organization has also worked towards the growth of civil rights movement in India since 1800s.[3]
Contemporary Arya Samaj[edit]
Arya Samaj in India[edit]
Arya Samaj schools and temples are found in almost all major cities and as well as in rural areas (especially in the North) of India. Some are authorised to conduct weddings. The Samaj is associated with the Dayanand Anglo Vedic (DAV) schools which number over eight hundred.[32] There are eight million followers of the Samaj in India.[33]
Arya Samaj around the world[edit]
Arya Samaj is active in countries including Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Fiji, Australia,[34] South Africa, Kenya,[35] Mauritius[36] and other countries where a significant Hindu diaspora is present. The Arya Samaj in Kenya runs a number of schools in Nairobi and other cities of the country.[37]
Immigrants to Canada and the United States from South Asia, Eastern Africa, South Africa, and the Caribbean countries have set up Arya Samaj temples for their respective communities.[38] Most major metropolitan areas of the United States have chapters of Arya Samaj.[39]