A century and a half of modern Hindu civilizational thought and organisation — from the reformers of the nineteenth century, through the freedom struggle, to the movements and institutions of independent India. Party-political events such as elections and changes of government are deliberately left out; disputed events are described with the facts established by courts and official records.
Reform and awakening, 1875–1905
- 1875Swami Dayananda Saraswati founds the Arya Samaj in Bombay (10 April) and publishes Satyarth Prakash.
- 1875Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay composes "Vande Mataram".
- 1882Anandamath is published, with "Vande Mataram" in it.
- 1886Sri Ramakrishna passes away; his disciples, led by Narendranath (Vivekananda), take monastic vows.
- 1893Swami Vivekananda addresses the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago (11 September).
- 1893Lokmanya Tilak popularises public Ganeshotsav in Pune; the Shivaji festival follows in 1895.
- 1897Vivekananda founds the Ramakrishna Mission (1 May).
- 1902Swami Vivekananda passes away (4 July).
The freedom struggle, 1905–1947
- 1905Partition of Bengal; the Swadeshi movement spreads "Vande Mataram" across India.
- 1907Tilak, Lajpat Rai and Bipin Chandra Pal lead the radical wing of the Congress.
- 1909Sri Aurobindo's Uttarpara speech; Gandhi writes Hind Swaraj.
- 1911Rabindranath Tagore composes "Jana Gana Mana".
- 1913Tagore receives the Nobel Prize in Literature.
- 1915The All-India Hindu Sabha, later the Hindu Mahasabha, is founded at Haridwar.
- 1915Tilak's Gita Rahasya is published.
- 1916Banaras Hindu University is founded by Madan Mohan Malaviya.
- 1923V. D. Savarkar's "Essentials of Hindutva" is published.
- 1925Dr K. B. Hedgewar founds a volunteer organisation at Nagpur on Vijayadashami (27 September).
- 1927Dr B. R. Ambedkar leads the Mahad Satyagraha.
- 1931V. D. Savarkar's Patit Pavan temple in Ratnagiri opens to all castes.
- 1935Ambedkar declares at Yeola that he will not die a Hindu.
- 1936Lakshmibai Kelkar founds the Rashtra Sevika Samiti at Wardha.
- 1937The Congress adopts the first two stanzas of "Vande Mataram" for national occasions.
- 1939The Sanskrit prayer "Namaste Sada Vatsale" is written by Narahari Narayan Bhide.
- 1940Dr Hedgewar dies; M. S. Golwalkar becomes head.
- 1942The Quit India Movement.
- 1947India becomes independent (15 August); Partition brings mass violence and displacement.
Independent India, 1948–1990
- 1948Mahatma Gandhi is assassinated (30 January); the volunteer organisation founded in 1925 is banned and thousands arrested.
- 1949The ban is lifted (July) after a written constitution is adopted.
- 1950The Constitution of India comes into force; "Jana Gana Mana" becomes the National Anthem and "Vande Mataram" the National Song.
- 1951The rebuilt Somnath temple is inaugurated by President Rajendra Prasad (11 May).
- 1952The Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram is founded at Jashpur.
- 1955The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh is founded (23 July).
- 1956Dr Ambedkar embraces Buddhism at Nagpur (14 October).
- 1964The Vishva Hindu Parishad is founded in Bombay (August).
- 1965Deendayal Upadhyaya delivers the Integral Humanism lectures in Bombay (April).
- 1969The Udupi conference declares that untouchability has no sanction in Hindu dharma.
- 1970The Vivekananda Rock Memorial at Kanyakumari is opened (2 September).
- 1972Vivekananda Kendra is founded.
- 1974Balasaheb Deoras's Pune lecture against untouchability (8 May).
- 1975–77The Emergency; the organisation is banned again and thousands are jailed.
- 1983The Ekatmata Yatra carries water from sacred rivers across the country.
- 1984The movement for a Ram temple at Ayodhya is launched by the Vishva Hindu Parishad.
- 1989The foundation stone (shilanyas) of the proposed temple is laid at Ayodhya (November).
Recent decades, 1990–2026
- 1992The Babri mosque at Ayodhya is demolished (6 December); communal riots follow; the organisation is banned for a third time.
- 1993A tribunal sets the ban aside.
- 2010The Allahabad High Court divides the disputed site at Ayodhya among three parties (30 September); the judgment is appealed.
- 2016The volunteer uniform changes from khaki shorts to brown trousers.
- 2019The Supreme Court awards the disputed site for a Ram temple and directs that five acres be given for a mosque (9 November).
- 2020The foundation ceremony (bhoomi pujan) of the Ram temple is held (5 August).
- 2024The consecration (pran pratishtha) of the Ram temple at Ayodhya (22 January).
- 2025Centenary of the organisation founded in 1925; a commemorative stamp and coin are released (1 October), and the centenary Vijayadashami is held (2 October).
- 2026The Vijayadashami of 20 October opens the organisation's second century.
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Frequently asked questions
When was the Arya Samaj founded?
On 10 April 1875 in Bombay.
When did the Supreme Court decide the Ayodhya case?
On 9 November 2019, awarding the disputed site for a Ram temple and directing that five acres be allotted for a mosque.
When was the Ram temple at Ayodhya consecrated?
On 22 January 2024.
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Sources & copyright status
- Constitution of India and Constituent Assembly debates (24 January 1950) — government records
- Supreme Court of India, M. Siddiq v. Mahant Suresh Das (9 November 2019) — court record
- Allahabad High Court, Ayodhya title suits judgment (30 September 2010) — court record
- Government of India notifications on the bans of 1948, 1975 and 1992 — government records
- Christophe Jaffrelot, The Hindu Nationalist Movement and Indian Politics (1996) — scholarly history
- 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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