Paramahansa Mandali was established in which State?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

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.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) Not the state associated with the Paramahansa Mandali; no major reform society of this name is tied to Orissa.  (b) 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) Not the state associated with the Paramahansa Mandali; Bihar's reform-era associations lie elsewhere (e.g. Champaran Satyagraha).

Concept: 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.

State PCS 2022 Q65 — History PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2022 Q65 — History PYQ with Answer