- PrarthanaSamaj, a Hindu reform society was established in Bombay by Dr.Atmaram Pandurang on 31 March 1867 when Keshab Chandra Sen, thefounder of the Bharatvarshiya Brahmo Samaj, visited Maharashtra. Another leader of PrarthanaSamaj was R.G. Bhandarkar, a noted scholar of Sanskrit.
- In I870, Justice Mahadev Gobind Ranade, a prominent social reformer and a judge of the Bombay High Court, joined this society and much of the work of this society was done by zeal and dedication of Ranade only.
- The two main planks of the Samaj were worship and social reforms. In purpose, it is similar to, but not affiliated with, the more widespread Brahmo Samaj and had its greatest sphere of influence in and around India’s Maharashtra state.
- The aim of the society is the promulgation of theistic worship and social reform, and its early goals were opposition to the caste system, the introduction of widow remarriage, the encouragement of female education, and the abolition of child marriage.
- Activities of the PrarthanaSamaj include study groups, the support of missionaries, a journal, night schools for working people, free libraries, women’s and student associations, and an orphanage.
- The Samaj was greatly influenced by the Brahmo Samaj and the Arya Samaj of Dayananda Saraswati, but it continued as an independent movement. Like that of the Brahmo Samaj and the Arya Samaj, the success of the PrarthanaSamaj in restoring Hindu self-respect was an important factor in the growth of Indian nationalism, which led ultimately to political independence.
