Rammohun Roy (1772-1833) was a social and religious reformer in India. He helped change Hinduism in a time when it had come under criticism from India’s British colonial rulers, Christian missionaries, and others. Rammohun Roy is sometimes called the father of modern India.
Rammohun Roy sought to change religion and society within Indian traditions by claiming that ancient Hindu writings supported his ideas for reform. For example, he rejected the polytheism (belief in many gods) that Hindus practiced at that time. He argued instead that certain Hindu texts supported the belief in one supreme being. He held that Hinduism was an ethical religion and one that was based on reason. Rammohun Roy objected to such traditional Hindu practices as idolatry and suttee, in which a widow was burned along with her dead husband. He also opposed the caste system’s rigid structure and strict rules.
Rammohun Roy was born in West Bengal on May 23, 1772. In 1828, he founded the Brahmo Samaj (Society of God). This organization played an important role in reforming Indian society and religion in the 1800’s. He died on Sept. 27, 1833.
