Born Munshi Ram, Swami Shraddhananda was transformed by hearing Swami Dayananda Saraswati and became one of the Arya Samaj's great leaders. He founded Gurukul Kangri near Haridwar, stood unarmed before soldiers during the 1919 satyagraha in Delhi, worked for the uplift of Dalits, and led the Shuddhi movement. He was assassinated in Delhi in 1926.
Life
- 1856Born Munshi Ram at Talwan in Jalandhar district, Punjab.
- 1879Hears Swami Dayananda Saraswati at Bareilly; later joins the Arya Samaj.
- 1902Founds the Gurukul at Kangri, near Haridwar, reviving ancient-style residential education.
- 1917Takes sannyasa as Swami Shraddhananda.
- 1919Leads the satyagraha against the Rowlatt Act in Delhi, baring his chest to soldiers' bayonets at Chandni Chowk; addresses a gathering from the pulpit of the Jama Masjid in a gesture of Hindu–Muslim unity.
- 1923Leads the Bharatiya Hindu Shuddhi Sabha.
- 1926Assassinated in Delhi on 23 December.
Work
Shraddhananda combined the Arya Samaj's reforming faith with fearless public action. Gurukul Kangri trained students in Vedic learning, Hindi and modern subjects without dependence on the colonial government. He worked against untouchability and for Dalit education, and argued that Hindu society must organise itself (sangathan) and welcome back those who had left it (shuddhi).
Criticism and debate
The Shuddhi and Sangathan campaigns of the 1920s were one of several movements — Hindu and Muslim — that critics say deepened communal tensions in that decade. His admirers stress his earlier work for Hindu–Muslim unity in 1919 and his lifelong commitment to social reform.
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Frequently asked questions
Who founded Gurukul Kangri?
Swami Shraddhananda (then Mahatma Munshi Ram) founded it near Haridwar in 1902.
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Read nextLokmanya Bal Gangadhar TilakSources & copyright status
- Swami Shraddhananda, Kalyan Marg ka Pathik (autobiography) — public domain
- J. T. F. Jordens, Swami Shraddhananda: His Life and Causes (1981) — biography; facts only
- Historical facts: not subject to copyright.
- Commentary and translations on this page: original to The Hindu Book. © The Hindu Book, all rights reserved.
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