Explanation: The Brahmo Samaj was the first modern Hindu reform movement. It was founded in Calcutta in 1828 by Ram Mohan Roy (1772-1833). As an expression of the social and religious views of a small but influential group of westernized Indians, the Brahmo Samaj sought to create a purified form of Hinduism, Hindu dharma free of all Puranic elements such as temple rituals and image worship. Led by a series of prominent Bengali intellectuals, the movement was a major factor in shaping Hindu responses to both secular and Christian influence from the West and thus helped pave the way for the so-called Hindu Renaissance in the late 1800s. ....Read more