Which social and religious reformer of the 19th century is often called the 'Martin Luther of India' (or 'Luther of Hinduism')?

Swami Dayananda Saraswati is often called the "Martin Luther of India" (or the "Luther of Hinduism"), because, like Martin Luther in Europe, he attacked the corruption and abuses that had entered religion and called for a return to the original scriptures.

Why the comparison?

Martin Luther (1483-1546) was a German monk who began the Protestant Reformation in Europe; he criticised the corruption of the Catholic Church and emphasised the authority of the Bible.

Dayananda criticised idol worship, ritualism, the dominance of priests, the caste system based on birth, child marriage and other social evils.

He held that the original Vedic religion was pure and free from these evils.

His teachings:

• He believed in one God (monotheism) and rejected idol worship.
• He supported the education of women, widow remarriage and the equality of all people.
• He believed that caste should be based on merit and qualities, not on birth.
• He encouraged the use of Hindi as a common language for India.
• His famous book, written in Hindi, sets out his religious and social ideas.

About Dayananda Saraswati:

• He was born in 1824 at Tankara, in the Morbi district of Gujarat.
• He left home as a young man in search of truth, and became a sannyasi.
• He studied under Swami Virjananda at Mathura.
• He founded a reform society in Bombay in the 1870s, which spread especially in Punjab and north India.
• He died in Ajmer in 1883.

Influence:

His followers set up many schools and colleges, and played an important role in the national movement.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Raja Ram Mohan Roy is often called the "Father of the Bengal Renaissance".
• ✗Vivekananda and Keshab Chandra Sen were other reformers.