A study of the changing patterns of the movements among the Santhals in the nineteenth century

Abstract

During the period between 1757 and 1856 western influence began to play greater newlineinfluence on Indian society. During this period people started to think in modern ways and to newlinetake effective measures for material advancement and social uplift. newlineThe social history of Bihar in the first half of the nineteenth century describes e state of newlineaffairs where the element of progress were dormant and pace of development extremely newlineslow. The attempts to social and religious reform in Bengal during this period had hardly newlineany influence on the society in Bihar. The greatest change in the society of Bihar for better, newlinecame, however, the opening of railways, the establishment of proper transport and communication newlinesystem and the industrialization and urbanization of the province in the second half of the newlinenineteenth century. newlineA year after the establishment of the Danapur Arya Samaj was founded the Arya Samaj newlineof Arrah. Subsequently twelve centres of the Arya Samaj developed in the district of Shahabad. newlineThe next Samaj to the established was in Ranchi in 1894. The Arya Samaj centre was newlineestablished in Siwan in 1998. The Arya Samaj Mandir there was made on public donation and newlinewas finally completed in 1915. The chief centre of Arya Samaj activities was in Siwan. Later its newlinefollowers spread throughoutt he district and established centre s in Chapra and Gopalganj as newlinewell. The Siwan Arya Samaj in course of time received a lot of land as gift and so established a newlinenumber of social welfare institutions. newlineSuch social groups linked up with modern industry, agriculture, commerce, finance, newlineadministration press, and other sections of the new social life, were unknown to pre-British newlinesociety since such a social, economic, and class system did not then exist. newline newline