Who founded the Adi Brahmasamaj?
- (a)Devendranath Tagore
- (b)Keshav Chandra Sen
- (c)Raja Ram Mohan Roy
- (d)Ravindranath Tagore
Correct — A, Devendranath Tagore. When the Brahmo Samaj split in 1866, Keshab Chandra Sen's followers formed the 'Brahmo Samaj of India', while the older, more conservative wing led by Devendranath Tagore came to be known as the Adi ('original') Brahmo Samaj.
- (b)Keshav Chandra Sen — Keshab Chandra Sen led the breakaway 'Brahmo Samaj of India' in 1866 — the group whose departure left the Adi Brahmo Samaj, which he did not found.
- (c)Raja Ram Mohan Roy — Ram Mohan Roy founded the parent Brahmo Sabha (1828); the distinct 'Adi' Brahmo Samaj emerged only with the 1866 split, long after his death in 1833.
- (d)Ravindranath Tagore — Rabindranath Tagore, the poet, was Devendranath's son; he did not found the Adi Brahmo Samaj.
The Brahmo movement descends from Ram Mohan Roy's Brahmo Sabha (1828). Devendranath Tagore revived it (Tattvabodhini Sabha, 1839; joined 1843). The 1866 split produced Keshab's Brahmo Samaj of India and Devendranath's Adi Brahmo Samaj; a further split in 1878 created the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj.
Keep the lineage straight: 'Adi' means original/first — the wing that stayed with Devendranath Tagore after Keshab broke away. Ram Mohan Roy founded the parent body, not the 'Adi' branch.
- Brahmo Sabha founded by Raja Ram Mohan Roy in 1828 (parent body).
- Devendranath Tagore revived the movement via the Tattvabodhini Sabha and led it from 1843.
- 1866 split: Keshab Chandra Sen -> Brahmo Samaj of India; Devendranath Tagore -> Adi Brahmo Samaj.
- 1878: Sadharan Brahmo Samaj split from Keshab's faction.
- 1828 — Brahmo Sabha founded by Raja Ram Mohan Roy
- 1843 — Devendranath Tagore revives & leads the movement
- 1866 — split: Keshab Chandra Sen forms 'Brahmo Samaj of India'
- Adi (original) Brahmo Samaj continues under Devendranath Tagore
'Adi' = the original wing that remained with Devendranath Tagore after the 1866 split.
- Confusing the Adi Brahmo Samaj (Devendranath) with the Brahmo Samaj of India (Keshab Chandra Sen)
- Crediting Ram Mohan Roy with the 'Adi' branch instead of the parent Brahmo Sabha
- Reading 'Ravindranath' as anyone other than the poet Rabindranath Tagore
Founder-to-organisation matching and 'who led which faction after the split' are the standard framings.
Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding Brahmo Samaj? 1. It opposed idolatry. 2. It denied the need for a priestly class for interpreting the religious texts. 3. It popularized the doctrine that the Vedas are infallible. Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 1 and 2 only
- (c) 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer(b) 1 and 2 only
UPSC 2012 on the Brahmo Samaj's core tenets — opposing idolatry and the priestly class — the movement whose Adi wing Devendranath Tagore led.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The 1866 split of the Brahmo Samaj produced the Brahmo Samaj of India under:
- (a)Keshab Chandra Sen
- (b)Devendranath Tagore
- (c)Raja Ram Mohan Roy
- (d)Debendranath Tagore
Answer(a) Keshab Chandra Sen.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The original Brahmo Sabha (1828) was founded by:
- (a)Raja Ram Mohan Roy
- (b)Devendranath Tagore
- (c)Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
- (d)Keshab Chandra Sen
Answer(a) Raja Ram Mohan Roy.