Paramahansa Mandali was a secret socio-religious group, established in 1849, in
Bombay
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...
and is closely related to
Manav Dharma Sabha which was found in 1844 in
Surat
Surat (Gujarati Language, Gujarati: ) is a city in the western Indian States and territories of India, state of Gujarat. The word Surat directly translates to ''face'' in Urdu, Gujarati language, Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of t ...
. It was started by
Durgaram Mehtaji,
Dadoba Pandurang and a group of his friends. Dadoba Pandurang assumed leadership of this organisation after he left Manav Dharma Sabha. He outlined his principles in ''Dharma Vivechan'' in 1848 for Manav Dharma Sabha and "Paramhansik Bramhyadharma" for Paramahansa Mandali. It acted as a secret society and is believed that the revelation of its existence in 1860 hastened its demise.
It was the first socio-religious organization of Maharashtra, founded in 1849. Its founders of these Mandli believed in one god.
They were primarily interested in breaking caste rules. At their meetings food cooked by lower caste people was taken by the members. The mandali also advocated women's education and widow remarriage.
See also
*
Secret society
A secret society is an organization about which the activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence ag ...
References
Defunct Hindu organizations
1849 in British India
Political history of India
Secret societies in India
1849 establishments in British India
History of Maharashtra
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