State PCS
The printing press 'Vedic Yantralaya', set up by Swami Dayananda Saraswati, was finally established at:
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Answer: Option B — Ajmer, Rajasthan
Detailed Solution
The "Vedic Yantralaya" was the printing press set up by Swami Dayananda Saraswati, the founder of the Arya Samaj, to publish his works and Arya Samaj literature. It was finally established at Ajmer, in Rajasthan.
About the Vedic Yantralaya:
- Dayananda Saraswati realised that printed books were essential for spreading his message of returning to the Vedas.
- The press was first set up at Varanasi (Kashi) around 1880 and was later moved to Allahabad (Prayagraj).
- It was finally moved to Ajmer in the 1890s, where it was managed by the Paropkarini Sabha, the trust that Dayananda established in his will to carry on his work.
- It printed his books, such as "Satyarth Prakash", and his commentaries on the Vedas ("Veda Bhashya"), in Hindi and Sanskrit.
About Swami Dayananda Saraswati (1824-1883):
He was born as Mool Shankar on 12 February 1824 at Tankara, in the Morbi district of Gujarat.
He founded the Arya Samaj in Bombay on 10 April 1875. Its headquarters later shifted to Lahore.
He gave the slogan "Go back to the Vedas".
He opposed idol worship, the caste system based on birth, child marriage, untouchability and superstitions, and he supported widow remarriage and women's education.
He started the "Shuddhi" movement to bring back people who had converted to other religions.
His most famous book is "Satyarth Prakash" ("The Light of Truth", 1875), written in Hindi.
He was the first to use the word "Swaraj" in the sense of self-rule, in 1876 ("India for Indians").
He died in Ajmer on 30 October 1883. His death anniversary is observed by the Arya Samaj, and the Rishi Udyan in Ajmer is a memorial to him.
Institutions inspired by him:
- The Dayanand Anglo-Vedic (DAV) College was founded in Lahore in 1886 by Lala Hansraj and others.
- The Gurukul Kangri was founded in Haridwar in 1902 by Swami Shraddhanand.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Lahore became the centre of the Arya Samaj and the first DAV College, but the press was in Ajmer.
- ✗Bombay was where the Arya Samaj was founded in 1875.
- ✗Haridwar has the Gurukul Kangri, founded in 1902.
Quick tip
Remember: Vedic Yantralaya = Dayananda Saraswati's press, finally at Ajmer (run by the Paropkarini Sabha); Arya Samaj founded in Bombay 1875; "Satyarth Prakash"; Dayananda died in Ajmer (1883); DAV College Lahore 1886.
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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.