Railway
The Paramahansa Mandali, an early secret reform society of Bombay (Maharashtra), was founded in 1849 by:
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option C — Dadoba Pandurang and Mehtaji Durgaram
Detailed Solution
The Paramahansa Mandali was founded in Bombay in 1849 by Dadoba Pandurang (Tarkhadkar) and Mehtaji Durgaram Manchharam, along with others.
About the Paramahansa Mandali:
- It is regarded as the first reform organisation of 19th-century Maharashtra.
- Its roots go back to the Manav Dharma Sabha, founded at Surat in 1844 by Mehtaji Durgaram and Dadoba Pandurang.
- It was a secret society, because its members feared the anger of orthodox society.
- It believed in one God and rejected idol worship.
- Its main aim was to break the caste system; at its meetings, members took food cooked by people of low castes, to show that they did not believe in caste distinctions.
- It also supported widow remarriage and the education of women.
Its end:
- In 1860, its list of members was stolen and published, which exposed them to social boycott and pressure from orthodox society.
- The society then broke up.
Its influence:
Many of its members later took part in founding other reform societies in Bombay, including the Prarthana Samaj.
About Dadoba Pandurang:
- He was born in 1814 in Bombay.
- He was a teacher, scholar and social reformer.
- He wrote a famous grammar of the Marathi language (1836), and is called the "Panini of Marathi".
- He opposed caste discrimination and supported women's education.
About Mehtaji Durgaram:
He was a teacher and social reformer from Surat, Gujarat.
Other early reformers of Maharashtra:
- Bal Shastri Jambhekar started "Darpan" (1832), the first Marathi newspaper.
- Good to know
- They were associated with other reform organisations.
Quick tip
Remember: Paramahansa Mandali (Bombay, 1849) = Dadoba Pandurang and Mehtaji Durgaram; secret society against caste; Manav Dharma Sabha (Surat, 1844).
💬 Discussions on this question
Ask a doubt ›Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.
Ask a doubtMore Socio-Religious Reform Movements Questions
View all ›More General Knowledge Questions
- Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
- Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
- Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
- Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
- Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms
Socio-Religious Reform Movements — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Socio-Religious Reform Movements, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
In the 19th century, reformers worked to remove social evils and revive Indian society. This topic covers organisations such as the Brahmo Samaj, Arya Samaj, Prarthana Samaj, Ramakrishna Mission, Theosophical Society, Satyashodhak Samaj and the Aligarh Movement, along with their founders and the social reforms they achieved. Questions usually ask who founded an organisation and when, or which reformer is linked to a reform. For example, Raja Ram Mohan Roy founded the Brahmo Samaj and campaigned against sati, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar championed widow remarriage, and Jyotiba Phule founded the Satyashodhak Samaj. A table of organisation, founder, year and place covers most questions. Practise the socio-religious reform movements questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.