Arya Samaj,founded by Swami Dayanand Saraswati on April 10, 1875 in Bombay (now Mumbai), is a social reform movement. Contrary to some misconceptions, it is not a religion or a new sect in Hindu religion. Swami Dayanand brought together a number of concerned members of the society to eliminate the ills prevalent within the Hindu Society in the 19th century. Swami Dayanand established the Arya Samaj as a permanent organization to continue to educate the Hindus of their rich heritage and to reform the social structure within India, largely through the spread of education, especially that of women.
One of the main missions of the Arya Samaj has been education. Arya Samaj is one of the largest providers of education in India, from pre-school to graduate level. Arya Samaj especially emphasizes the education of women. As Indians moved away from the borders of India to settle in other lands, several carried with them the principles of Arya Samaj. They established branches of Arya Samaj in their adopted countries in order to continue the good work, to educate their offspring about the rich history, cultural heritage and traditions of India, and to inspire them to carry on the beliefs and practices of Arya Samaj.