Question

Who established the Theosophical society? What were its main aims?

Answer 1

Hint: Theosophical society is an organization which aims to advance the ideas of theosophy which is the ritual movement established in the United States during the 19th century. It also has wider religious philosophy like Vedantha, Mahayana, Buddhism and Sufism.

Complete answer: The theosophical society functions as a bridge between East and West emphasizing the commonality of human culture. The Theosophical Society was founded by Madame Blavatsky and Col. Olcott in 1875 in New York. Further, in 1879 this ideology came into Indian culture. Its headquarter is in Adyar which is in Madras (Chennai). This movement was popularized by Annie Besant in India.
The Theosophical Society was based on these three principles: Universal brotherhood, the study of comparative religion and philosophy and Investigation into the natural laws which seek to understand the unexplained mystic laws.
Annie Besant joined the theosophical society in 1889. She protested against the prevalent levels of the Indian society like child marriage and unacceptability of widow remarriage. She attempted to bring education in India and for that, she started the Banaras Central School which is now known as Banaras Hindu University.
The theosophical society conducted research on Hindu religion and translated religious texts which helped the process of intellectual awakening of India.

Note: Theosophical society created a national pride in the minds of educated Indian youth which helped Indian to know the modern concept of nationalism.