Who among the following founded the Arya Samaj in 1875 in Bombay (now Mumbai)?

Appeared in: Bihar NHM CHO-2025

Explanation

Swami Dayanand Saraswati founded the Arya Samaj on April 10, 1875, in Bombay (now Mumbai).
The primary objective of the Arya Samaj was to re-establish the authority of the Vedas as the source of true knowledge and to reform Hindu society.
Swami Dayanand's motto was "Krinvanto Vishwam Aryam" (Make the world noble) and he gave the call to "Go back to the Vedas.".
The movement worked against idol worship, the caste system based on birth, untouchability, and child marriage, while promoting women's education and widow remarriage.

Option A: Jyotiba Phule was a great social reformer but he did not found the Arya Samaj.
Option B: Keshab Chandra Sen was associated with the Brahmo Samaj, not the Arya Samaj.
Option C: Gopal Hari Deshmukh was a social reformer and writer from Maharashtra, but he did not found the Arya Samaj.

Visual 1: Portrait - A portrait of Swami Dayanand Saraswati to help students associate the face with the name and the movement.
Visual 2: Timeline - A timeline graphic showing the major 19th-century social reform movements in India (e.g., Brahmo Samaj, Satyashodhak Samaj, Arya Samaj) and their founding dates to provide historical context.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Indian Social Reform Movements of the 19th Century as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Understanding these reform movements is crucial for comprehending the social, cultural, and educational landscape of modern India.
The Arya Samaj's emphasis on education led to the establishment of numerous Dayanand Anglo-Vedic (DAV) schools and colleges, which remain prominent educational institutions today.
The principles of social equality and rejection of the caste system, championed by these movements, are foundational to the ethical and legal frameworks of contemporary Indian society.

How to Approach the Question

Identify the key terms in the question: "Arya Samaj", "founded", and "1875".
Recognize this as a factual recall question from Indian history, specifically about social reform movements.
Access your knowledge about major 19th-century Indian social reformers and their organizations.
Evaluate each option. Try to match the reformer with their primary contribution.
Associate Swami Dayanand Saraswati with the Arya Samaj.
Differentiate this from other reformers like Jyotiba Phule (Satyashodhak Samaj) and Keshab Chandra Sen (Brahmo Samaj) to confirm the correct pairing and eliminate the distractors.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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Practise the full Bihar NHM CHO-2025

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.