MPPSC 2022 Prelims Paper-I · Question 65 of 100

Correct — C, Maharashtra. The Paramahansa Mandali was a secret socio-religious reform society founded in 1849 in Bombay (present-day Maharashtra) by Dadoba Pandurang and associates, including Durgaram Mehtaji. It worked to break caste rules — members deliberately ate food cooked by people of other castes at its meetings — and advocated belief in one formless God, women's education and widow remarriage. It operated secretly and declined after its existence became public around 1860.

• (a)Orissa — Not the state associated with the Paramahansa Mandali; no major reform society of this name is tied to Orissa.
• (b)Bengal — A major hub of 19th-century reform movements (Brahmo Samaj, Young Bengal) but the Paramahansa Mandali itself was a Bombay/Maharashtra society, not a Bengal one.
• (d)Bihar — Not the state associated with the Paramahansa Mandali; Bihar's reform-era associations lie elsewhere (e.g. Champaran Satyagraha).

The Paramahansa Mandali (1849, Bombay) was one of western India's earliest socio-religious reform societies, founded by Dadoba Pandurang. It preached monotheism, rejected caste distinctions and idol worship, and supported women's education and widow remarriage — deliberately operating as a secret society since its practices (like inter-caste dining) would have provoked social backlash if openly known.

A classic examiner trap: Dadoba Pandurang's brother, Atmaram Pandurang, later founded the separate and better-known Prarthana Samaj (1867, also in Bombay), which became prominent after M. G. Ranade joined it. The similar founder surname and shared Bombay origin make it easy to conflate the two distinct organisations.

• Founded in 1849 in Bombay (Maharashtra) by Dadoba Pandurang, with Durgaram Mehtaji among the associates
• A secret society — inter-caste dining at meetings, one formless God, opposed idol worship and caste rigidity
• Advocated women's education and widow remarriage
• Declined after its existence became public around 1860; distinct from the later Prarthana Samaj (1867), founded by Dadoba's brother Atmaram Pandurang

• Confusing the Paramahansa Mandali (Dadoba Pandurang, 1849) with the Prarthana Samaj (his brother Atmaram Pandurang, 1867) — both Bombay-based, similar founder surname
• Assigning it to Bengal by mistaking it for a Brahmo Samaj-linked body

MPPSC/UPSC test the state/city of founding and the founder's name — expect the Dadoba-vs-Atmaram Pandurang (Paramahansa Mandali vs Prarthana Samaj) distinction to be the deciding trap in a close question.

No directly related past PYQ was found.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  The Paramahansa Mandali, a secret socio-religious reform society, was founded in 1849 by:

  • (a)Dadoba Pandurang
  • (b)Atmaram Pandurang
  • (c)M. G. Ranade
  • (d)Raja Ram Mohan Roy

  Answer(a) Dadoba Pandurang — his brother Atmaram Pandurang later founded the separate Prarthana Samaj in 1867.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  The Prarthana Samaj, founded in Bombay in 1867, became prominent after which reformer joined it?

  • (a)M. G. Ranade
  • (b)Dadoba Pandurang
  • (c)Bal Gangadhar Tilak
  • (d)Gopal Krishna Gokhale

  Answer(a) M. G. Ranade — his involvement raised the Prarthana Samaj's profile, distinct from the earlier Paramahansa Mandali.