Editing Arya Samaj (section)

==History==

=== The beginning ===
Swami Dayanand Saraswati established the Arya Samaj in April 1875 in Bombay with ten principles. However, these principles were finally settled in 1877 in Lahore.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lajpat Rai |first=Lala |url=http://archive.org/details/aryasamajaccount00lajprich |title=The Arya Samaj : an account of its origin, doctrines, and activities : with a biographical sketch of the founder |date=1915 |publisher=London : Longmans, Green |others=University of California Libraries |isbn=978-0-524-01191-1}}</ref><ref>Upadhyaya, Ganga Prasad. ''The Origin, Scope and Mission of the Arya Samaj''. No. 4. Arya Samaj, 1954.</ref>
[[File:Charan Singh with the members of Arya Samaj.jpg|thumb|[[Charan Singh]] (fifth from left in last row) with members of Arya Samaj in 1930 ]]

===Vedic schools===
Between 1869 and 1873, Dayanand began his efforts to reform orthodox [[Hinduism]] in India. He established ''[[Gurukul]]'' ([[Vedas|Vedic]] schools) which emphasised Vedic values, culture, and ''[[Satya]]'' (Truth). The schools gave separate educations to boys and girls based on ancient Vedic principles. The Vedic school system was also to relieve Indians from the pattern of a [[British Raj|British]] education.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sharma |first=Ram Nath |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4odAR3HVJNcC&dq=dayanand+gurukul&pg=PA357 |title=Problems of Education in India |last2=Sharma |first2=Rajendra Kumar |date=2006 |publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Dist |isbn=978-81-7156-612-9 |language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Arya Samaj R.V. Russell 1916.PNG|thumb|250px|A meeting of the Arya Samaj for investing boys with the [[sacred thread]].]]
[[File:Arya Samaj 2000 stamp of India.jpg|thumb|A 2000 postage stamp dedicated to Arya Samaj.]]

===Arya Samaj in Bengal===
Due to Schisms in [[Adi Dharm|Adi Brahmo Samaj]] at Calcutta, a new variant of Adi Brahmoism called Arya Samaj began to take root in the Punjab. When he traveled to Calcutta Swami Dayanand had come into close and extended contact with Raj Narayan Bose, Debendranath Tagore etc. Swami Dayanand closely studied Tagore's book Brahmo Dharma, a comprehensive manual of religion and ethics for Adi Dharma, while in Calcutta. The bone of contention between these two Samajs was over the authority of the Vedas–whose authority the Adi Dharma rejected and held to be inferior works, whereas Arya Samaj held Vedas to be divine revelation. Despite this difference of opinion, however, it seems that the members of the Brahmo Samaj and Swami Dayanand parted on good terms, the former having publicly praised the latter’s visit to Calcutta in several journals and the latter having taken inspiration from the former’s activity in the social sphere.<ref>[http://adidharm.brahmosamaj.in/adi-dharm-timeline/emergence-of-arya-samaj-in-punjab-1875 Emergence of Arya Samaj in Punjab (1875)].</ref>