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Question 77 of 84 · Socio-Religious Reform Movements
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The Theosophical Society was first founded in 1875 by Madame H. P. Blavatsky and Colonel H. S. Olcott in:

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Answer: Option C — New York (USA)

Detailed Solution

The Theosophical Society was founded in New York City, in the United States, on 17 November 1875, by Madame Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, along with William Quan Judge and others.

The founders:

Madame H. P. Blavatsky (1831-1891) was a Russian-born mystic and writer, who claimed to have studied with spiritual masters in Tibet.

Colonel H. S. Olcott was an American lawyer, journalist and officer in the American Civil War.

Aims of the Theosophical Society:

  • To form a nucleus of the universal brotherhood of humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or colour.
  • To encourage the comparative study of religion, philosophy and science.
  • To investigate the unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in man.

Move to India:

  • The founders came to India in 1879, and first set up their office in Bombay.
  • The headquarters was moved to Madras in the early 1880s, where it has remained since.

Work in India:

  • The Society accepted the doctrines of rebirth and karma, and drew inspiration from the philosophy of the Upanishads, Samkhya, Yoga and Vedanta.
  • It praised the ancient religions of India and Sri Lanka, which gave self-confidence to educated Indians.
  • Olcott worked for the revival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, and designed the Buddhist flag.
  • Blavatsky's main works are "Isis Unveiled" (1877) and "The Secret Doctrine" (1888).

Annie Besant:

  • Annie Besant joined the Society in 1889, and became its President in 1907.
  • Under her leadership, the Society became closely involved with education and the national movement in India.

NCERT on the Theosophists:

NCERT notes that the Theosophical Society glorified ancient Indian traditions and philosophy, and that this gave Indians greater confidence in their own culture.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗London and Colombo were not the place of its founding; the society moved its headquarters to India only later.

Quick tip

Remember: Theosophical Society = founded in New York (17 November 1875) by Blavatsky and Olcott; came to India in 1879; Annie Besant joined in 1889.

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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.

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