abstract

In colonial India, the fight against child marriage was closely linked to larger campaigns for women's rights, social reform, and legal change. The Arya Samaj, which was established by Swami Dayananda Saraswati in 1875, was one of the several groups that led reformist agendas. It was significant in influencing public opinion and promoting legislative action. The Arya Samaj, which was founded on a reinterpretation of Vedic ideas, vehemently opposed long-standing social customs like child marriage because they believed that they were incompatible with the moral and spiritual underpinnings of Hinduism. This study examines the Arya Samaj's persistent attempts to stop child marriage from 1875 to 1947, with particular attention to how it responded to the Age of Consent Acts of 1891 and 1929.