Study on contribution of Swami Ramalinga, 1823-1874, Hindu religious leader and poet, founder of Samarasa Suddha Sanmarga, to sati, child-marriage, widow remarriage, slavery, and temple entry in Tamil Nadu.
A free open access ebook is available upon publication. Learn more at www.luminosoa.org. The Emergence of Modern Hinduism argues for the importance of regional, vernacular innovation in processes of Hindu modernization. Scholars usually trace the emergence of modern Hinduism to cosmopolitan reform movements, producing accounts that overemphasize the centrality of elite religion and the influence of Western ideas and models. In this study, the author considers religious change on the margins of colonialism by looking at an important local figure, the Tamil Shaiva poet and mystic Ramalinga Swami (1823–1874). Weiss narrates a history of Hindu modernization that demonstrates the transformative role of Hindu ideas, models, and institutions, making this text essential for scholarly audiences of South Asian history, religious studies, Hindu studies, and South Asian studies.
India has a democratic constitution which ensures equitable political participation to all its citizens. In December 1992, Indian Parliament passed the 73rd and 74th Amendment to the constitution making panchayats and municipalities mandatory institutions of self government in the country . From the women's perspective, the important feature of the Act is the reservation of at least 1/3 of the total seats for women both at the membership level and the level of functionaries. Political empowerment is one fact of women empowerment.