Revivalism UPSC Notes: Causes of Religious Revivalism in India

Revivalism simply refers to the revival of religion in any form, including institutional participation in a church, the expansion of religious institutions and phenomena. Revivalism is generally characterized by a renewed religious fervor within a Christian group, church, or community. Primarily, it refers to a movement within certain Protestant churches aimed at revitalizing the spiritual zeal of their members and attracting new followers. The modern form of revivalism can be traced back to the shared emphasis on personal religious experience, the priesthood of all believers, and holy living during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries in Anabaptism, Puritanism, German Pietism, and Methodism. This emphasis arose as a protest against established church systems perceived as excessively sacramental, priestly, and worldly. Central to revivalism was a strong focus on personal conversion.

In this article on Revivalism UPSC, we will learn about revivalism in a detailed manner. Revivalism UPSC forms a significant part of the UPSC IAS exam. UPSC Prelims and UPSC Mains Paper I have many questions about this topic. It is also an important topic for UPSC History Optional and essential for the UGC NET History exam. Every year over 5-7 questions on India's political history are in the question paper.

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What is Revivalism?

Methodists experienced revivalism in the 18th century throughout Western society. Mass movements that are founded on intense religious upheaval are referred to as religious revivalism. Religious traditions regularly exhibit periodic religious revivals that aim to reestablish devotion and attachment to the group.

The reformist movements, such as the Brahmo Samaj, Prarthana Samaj, and Aligarh Movement, and the revivalist movements, such as the Arya Samaj and the Deoband movement, can be broadly divided into two types. Both the reformer and the revivalist movements relied, in differing degrees, on an appeal to the religion's once-pure origins. The main distinction between one reform movement and another was how much it depended on tradition or on conscience and reason.

One of the most significant revivalist movements in India, the Arya Samaj, was founded on the Shudhi movement. It intended to bring Hindus who had converted to other religions back into the fold. Hindus, particularly those from lower castes, felt the effects of this deeply. To elevate their social position, they looked to other religions. Women were treated equally, particularly in the field of education.

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Causes of Religious Revivalism

There are several factors that have contributed to the rise of religious revivalism in India, including political, social, and economic forces.

The effects of colonialism remain a major factor in India's religious revivalism. An organised campaign to disrupt and suppress conventional religious practices and beliefs distinguished the British administration in India. The Indian people were profoundly affected by this and had a sense of spiritual and cultural loss. Religious practices and beliefs were considered as a way to proclaim Indian identity in the face of colonialism and restore this lost history.

The emergence of Hindu nationalism is another element that has fueled India's religious revivalism. Early in the 20th century, the Hindu nationalist movement began to take shape in response to the prospect of Muslim dominance. The movement aimed to affirm the superiority of Hindu culture in India and to promote Hindu identity. As a result, Hindu religious practices and beliefs gained popularity once again, along with a more forceful and hostile attitude towards other religions.

Religious revivalism in India is on the rise as a result of social causes as well. India has strict social and caste systems and is a very hierarchical country. Many marginalised groups have turned to religion as a means of expressing their identity and resisting the prevailing social structure. Movements to advance the interests of Dalits, Adivasis, and other marginalised groups have grown as a result of this.

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Revivalism Movement In India

Let us look at some of the important religious revivalism movements in India.

The Arya Samaj

The Arya Samaj Movement was a response to Western influences; it was revivalist in form but not in content.

• Its founder, Dayananda Saraswati or Mulshankar (1824–1883), was born into a Brahmin family in the former Morvi state of Gujarat.
• For fifteen years (1845–60), he wandered as a hermit in search of the truth. He officially founded the first Arya Samaj unit in Bombay in 1875 and later established Lahore as the Samaj's headquarters.
• Dayananda's opinions were made public in his well-known book Satyarth Prakash. His idealised depiction of India comprised a caste- and class-less society, a united India free from foreign occupation, and an Aryan religion as the universal faith. 
• He drew inspiration from the Vedas, which he saw as "India's Rock of Ages," the infallible foundation of Hinduism. "Back to the Vedas," he declared.
• The phrase "Back to the Vedas" was used by Dayananda to advocate for the resurgence of Vedic knowledge and religious piety rather than the return to the Vedic era. He embraced modernism and showed patriotism when it came to societal issues. Hindu orthodoxy, caste rigidities, untouchability, idolatry, polytheism, faith in magic, charms, and animal sacrifices, prohibition on sea travel, feeding the dead through shraddhas, etc., were all targets of Dayananda's frontal assault.
• Dayananda believed in the Vedic Chaturvarna system, according to which a person's status as a Brahmin, Kshatriya, vaishya, or Shudra was determined by their merit and work rather than by their birth. The Arya Samaj set the minimum age for marriage at twenty-five for males and sixteen for females.
• The Hindu race was originally bemoaned by Swami Dayananda as "the children of children."
• The Samaj began the shuddhi (purification) drive to reintegrate Christians and Muslims into the Hindu fold in an effort to save Hindu culture against the onslaught of Christianity and Islam. 
• During the 1920s, an aggressive shuddhi campaign contributed to a growing communalism of social life, which later grew into a sense of collective political consciousness. The shuddhi movement also sought to convert persons who were considered untouchables and outside the Hindu caste system into pure caste Hindus.

The Wahabi Movement

This basically revivalist reaction to Western influences and the corruption that had set in among Indian Muslims and called for a restoration to the genuine spirit of Islam was inspired by the teachings of Abdul Wahab of Arabia and the sermons of Shah Walliullah (1702-1763). 

• Shah Abdul Aziz and Syed Ahmed Barelvi, who also gave them a political perspective, greatly popularised Walliullah's ideas. It was hoped to eradicate un-Islamic customs that had seeped into Muslim society. Syed Ahmed urged a return to the Prophet's time in Arabia and the form of society that had prevailed there. India was viewed as the "land of the kafirs," or dar-ul-Harb, and it needed to become the "land of Islam," or dar-ul-Islam.
• The Punjabi Sikhs were the target of the organisation's initial attacks, but after Punjab was annexed by the British in 1849, the movement turned its attention to the British. The Wahabis had a significant part in fomenting anti-British sentiment during the 1857 Revolt. In the 1870s, the Wahabi Movement died out in the face of British military strength.

The Deoband School 

The Deoband organisation was established by the orthodox branch of the Muslim ulema as a revivalist organisation with the dual goals of preserving the spirit of war against foreign rulers and disseminating the clear teachings of the Quran and Hadis among Muslims.

In order to develop religious leaders for the Muslim community, Mohammad Qasim Nanotavi (1832-80) and Rashid Ahmed Gangohi (1828-1905) founded the Deoband Movement at the Darul Uloom, Deoband, in the Saharanpur region of the United Provinces. 

The Deoband Movement sought the moral and religious renewal of the Muslim community, in contrast to the Aligarh Movement, which sought the well-being of Muslims through Western education and British government sponsorship.

The Theosophical Movement

The Theosophical Society was established in New York City, United States, in 1875 by a group of Westerners who were influenced by Indian ideas and culture and were led by Colonel M.S. Olcott and Madame H.P. Blavatsky (1831–1891). It embraced Hindu doctrines of rebirth and karma and took its cues from the Upanishad and Samkhya schools of philosophy, yoga, and Vedanta schools of thought. 

• The Hindu Renaissance eventually formed a partnership with the Theosophical Movement. It opposed child marriage and pushed for the elimination of caste prejudice, the advancement of outcasts, and an improvement in the circumstances of widows.
• After Olcott's passing in 1907, the movement gained some popularity in India with the election of Annie Besant (1847–1933) as its leader.
• The Theosophical Society satisfied the need for educated Hindus and served as a unifying force for the diverse sects. However, the Theosophist philosophy appeared vague to the average Indian and lacked a clear positive agenda; as a result, its influence was restricted to a small portion of the Westernised class. 
• Theosophists did not have much success as religious revivalists, but as a Western movement exalting Indian religious and philosophical traditions, they provided the Indians resisting British colonial power much-needed self-respect. From a different perspective, the Theosophists also had the effect of instilling a false sense of pride in the Indians' antiquated and occasionally retrograde traditions and ideas.

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Architectural Revivalism 

In India in the latter 19th century, British architects mostly used the Indo-Saracenic Revival architectural style, particularly in public and governmental structures under the British Raj and in the palaces of princely state rulers. Native Indo-Islamic architecture, particularly Mughal architecture, which the British considered to be the epitome of Indian style, and, less frequently, Hindu temple buildings, were aesthetic and ornamental influences on it. With distinctive Indian characteristics and decoration added, the buildings' basic construction and plan tended to be similar to those utilised in contemporary structures in other styles, such as Gothic Revival and Neo-Classical. The Arabic-speaking Muslim inhabitants of the Middle East and North Africa were referred to as "Saracens" in mediaeval Europe.

The majority of the large public buildings constructed in India and some adjacent nations in the Indo-Saracenic style were clock towers and courthouses. According to legend, the Chepauk Palace in modern-day Chennai (Madras), which was finished in 1768, was the first Indo-Saracenic structure.

Conclusion

As a result of a variety of political, social, and economic causes, religious revivalism in India is a complicated phenomenon. In India, the repercussions of colonialism, the emergence of Hindu nationalism, economic liberalisation, and social upheaval have all fueled the expansion of religious movements. While these movements have given many people a sense of identity and belonging, they have also fostered intolerance and sectarianism. If India is to create a society that is truly inclusive and pluralistic, it must find a way to balance the conflicting demands of religious identity and secular democracy.

Key Takeaways for UPSC Aspirants Definition: Revivalism refers to rekindling interest in declining religious, cultural, or artistic practices to renew traditional values against modern influences. Historical Context: Revivalist movements have emerged globally throughout history. This includes the Protestant Reformation, the Bhakti movement in India, and the Renaissance. Religious Revivalism: This involves reaffirming core tenets of faiths, exemplified by movements like the Islamic revival and Hindu reform initiatives by figures like Swami Vivekananda. Cultural Revivalism: Focuses on rejuvenating cultural heritage and includes movements like the Irish Literary Revival, the Bengali Renaissance, and the Harlem Renaissance. Political Implications: Revivalism often intersects with nationalism, evident in the Indian independence movement's use of traditional symbols to foster unity. Economic Factors: Responses to industrialization and globalization, where communities seek to preserve their lifestyles amidst economic changes, uniting against exploitation. Modern Examples: Contemporary revivalism includes political Islamism, right-wing nationalism in the West, and the return to indigenous practices in various communities. Challenges: Balancing the preservation of tradition with progressive change is complex, as revivalism can sometimes lead to exclusionary practices and resistance to innovation.

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