Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha
Encyclopedia
The Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha is the major Hindu
organisation in Trinidad and Tobago
. It operates 150 mandirs and over 50 schools. It was formed in 1952 when Bhadase Sagan Maraj
engineered the merger of the Satanan Dharma Association and the Sanatan Dharma Board of Control. An affiliated group, the Pundits' Parishad, has 200 affiliated pundit
s. The organisation's headquarters are located in St. Augustine
.
The President General of the Maha Sabha is Pt utham Maharaj and the Secretary General is Satnarayan Maharaj
, son-in-law of the founder, Bhadase Sagan Maraj.
In 1881, a Sanatan Dharma Association was founded in Trinidad in an attempt to consolidate Hindus and lobby on their behalf. This Association, however, was not known for any significant advances in Hindu organizational development. Other groups existed by the 1920s including the Trinidad Hindu Maha Sabha, San Feranado Hindu Sabha, and the Sanatan Dharma Prabartakh Sabha. But these, too, were not especially dynamic in shaping the course of Hindu history. The most significant advances in Hindu organizational development of these Sabhas came as a response to the Arya Samaj and its missionaries.
The controversies stirred by the Arya Samaj
spokesmen acted as a kind of catalyst for the leaders of the Sanatan Dharma
community to make greater strides towards effective organization.The Sanatan Dharma Association was incorporated by an act of Legislature in 1932. A conservative group of Hindus established a rival organization, the Sanatan Dharma Board of Control which was also incorporated in 1932. Each of these served to represent the interests of the Hindu community with regard to social action or issues surrounding the orthodoxy; they also served to liase with colonial or parliamentary authorities. In 1935, in a move to demonstrate greater legitimacy, the Board became formally affiliated with the Sanatan Dharma Pratindhi Sabha based in Lahore,India. Pundits and laymen throughout the island became affiliated with one or the other of the two national Hindu bodies. The Sanatan Dharma Board of Control, for example had branches in 32 villages by the late 1930s.
The greatest development in the Hindu communal activity in Trinidad began in 1952 when under the guidance and direction of powerful Pundit Goberdhan JP of Siparia old Road, south Trinidad (who acted as a representative of the Governor general of Trinidad at difficult times) Bhadase Sagan Maraj united the Sanatan Dharma Association and the Sanatan Dharma Board of Control. In that year Maraj, a self-made millionaire and sugar union leader,merged the two Sanatanist Hindu bodies, to create a much more powerful pressure group and public organization. The new organization, the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha, was incorporated in 1952. The Maha Sabha’s parishad, or council of pundits worked towards a complete coordination of temples activities and the standardization of ritual procedure. Relatively few structured, permanent religious groups existed in Trinidad India
n villages until the advent of the Maha Sabha school building programme. Many temples were constructed or affiliated in addition. In order to ensure uniform teaching and practices, the Maha Sabha published literature to be used at all schools and temples.
Yet foremost on the new organization agenda was education, which its members saw as the key to promoting Hindu unity in all parts of the country, to promulgating the faith among future generations Hindus, and to provide Indians with greater opportunities for social advancement. Between 1952 and 1956 the Maha Sabha built no less than 31 schools all over the island. Today the Maha Sabha operates 42 schools in Trinidad, over 150 temples, and affiliated over 200 pundits.
Under the present Secretary General, Mr Satnarayan Maharaj, the Maha Sabha has modernized all 42 schools and built 5 secondary schools as well as 12 early childhood educational centers. Mr. Maharaj has also revived the observance of Phagwa and was instrumental in the creation of the Indian Arrival Day
holiday and annual celebrations. The Maha Sabha introduced a Children’s Cultural Festival Baal Vikaas Vihar and the community has been challenged by this leader to enter into the computer age.
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
organisation in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
. It operates 150 mandirs and over 50 schools. It was formed in 1952 when Bhadase Sagan Maraj
Bhadase Maraj
Bhadase Sagan Maraj was a Trinidad and Tobago politician, religious leader and businessman. He founded the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha in 1952, which grew into the major Hindu organisation in Trinidad and Tobago.-Early life:...
engineered the merger of the Satanan Dharma Association and the Sanatan Dharma Board of Control. An affiliated group, the Pundits' Parishad, has 200 affiliated pundit
Pundit (India)
A Paṇḍit is a scholar, poet and vocalist, particularly one adept in the Sanskrit language. Typically a Saraswat Brahmin by birth, a Pandit memorizes a substantial portion of the Vedas for chanting of Hindu prayers during ritual ceremonies...
s. The organisation's headquarters are located in St. Augustine
Saint Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
St. Augustine, a town on the East-West Corridor of Trinidad and Tobago, is the site of one of the four campuses of the University of the West Indies. It is located east of Curepe and west of Tunapuna....
.
The President General of the Maha Sabha is Pt utham Maharaj and the Secretary General is Satnarayan Maharaj
Satnarayan Maharaj
Satnarayan Maharaj Chaconia Medal is a religious, cultural and political leader in Trinidad and Tobago. He is the Secretary General of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha, the major Hindu organisation in Trinidad and Tobago. He also writes op-ed contributions in many newspapers in Trinidad and Tobago...
, son-in-law of the founder, Bhadase Sagan Maraj.
In 1881, a Sanatan Dharma Association was founded in Trinidad in an attempt to consolidate Hindus and lobby on their behalf. This Association, however, was not known for any significant advances in Hindu organizational development. Other groups existed by the 1920s including the Trinidad Hindu Maha Sabha, San Feranado Hindu Sabha, and the Sanatan Dharma Prabartakh Sabha. But these, too, were not especially dynamic in shaping the course of Hindu history. The most significant advances in Hindu organizational development of these Sabhas came as a response to the Arya Samaj and its missionaries.
The controversies stirred by the Arya Samaj
Arya Samaj
Arya Samaj is a Hindu reform movement founded by Swami Dayananda on 10 April 1875. He was a sannyasi who believed in the infallible authority of the Vedas. Dayananda emphasized the ideals of brahmacharya...
spokesmen acted as a kind of catalyst for the leaders of the Sanatan Dharma
Dharma
Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
community to make greater strides towards effective organization.The Sanatan Dharma Association was incorporated by an act of Legislature in 1932. A conservative group of Hindus established a rival organization, the Sanatan Dharma Board of Control which was also incorporated in 1932. Each of these served to represent the interests of the Hindu community with regard to social action or issues surrounding the orthodoxy; they also served to liase with colonial or parliamentary authorities. In 1935, in a move to demonstrate greater legitimacy, the Board became formally affiliated with the Sanatan Dharma Pratindhi Sabha based in Lahore,India. Pundits and laymen throughout the island became affiliated with one or the other of the two national Hindu bodies. The Sanatan Dharma Board of Control, for example had branches in 32 villages by the late 1930s.
The greatest development in the Hindu communal activity in Trinidad began in 1952 when under the guidance and direction of powerful Pundit Goberdhan JP of Siparia old Road, south Trinidad (who acted as a representative of the Governor general of Trinidad at difficult times) Bhadase Sagan Maraj united the Sanatan Dharma Association and the Sanatan Dharma Board of Control. In that year Maraj, a self-made millionaire and sugar union leader,merged the two Sanatanist Hindu bodies, to create a much more powerful pressure group and public organization. The new organization, the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha, was incorporated in 1952. The Maha Sabha’s parishad, or council of pundits worked towards a complete coordination of temples activities and the standardization of ritual procedure. Relatively few structured, permanent religious groups existed in Trinidad India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n villages until the advent of the Maha Sabha school building programme. Many temples were constructed or affiliated in addition. In order to ensure uniform teaching and practices, the Maha Sabha published literature to be used at all schools and temples.
Yet foremost on the new organization agenda was education, which its members saw as the key to promoting Hindu unity in all parts of the country, to promulgating the faith among future generations Hindus, and to provide Indians with greater opportunities for social advancement. Between 1952 and 1956 the Maha Sabha built no less than 31 schools all over the island. Today the Maha Sabha operates 42 schools in Trinidad, over 150 temples, and affiliated over 200 pundits.
Under the present Secretary General, Mr Satnarayan Maharaj, the Maha Sabha has modernized all 42 schools and built 5 secondary schools as well as 12 early childhood educational centers. Mr. Maharaj has also revived the observance of Phagwa and was instrumental in the creation of the Indian Arrival Day
Indian Arrival Day
Indian Arrival Day is a holiday celebrated on various days around the world, usually commemorating the arrival of people from the Indian subcontinent to that nation.-Guyana:...
holiday and annual celebrations. The Maha Sabha introduced a Children’s Cultural Festival Baal Vikaas Vihar and the community has been challenged by this leader to enter into the computer age.