Kanya Gurukul Dehradun: A New Perspective of Women Education in Colonial India

Abstract

This paper examines the establishment and development  of Kanya Gurukul Dehradun as an ideal experiment in women’s education within the broader framework of the Arya Samaj’s socio-religious reform movement in colonial India. While the Arya Samaj, inspired by Swami Dayanand Saraswati, had made progress  through institutions like D.A.V. Colleges, ideological differences led to the creation of Gurukuls to preserve Vedic ideals in education. The success of Gurukul Kangri for boys inspired the founding of Kanya Gurukul, despite challenges such as lack of funding and the need for a culturally appropriate curriculum for girls. Under the vision and leadership of Acharya Ram Dev and Acharya Vidyawati Seth—the first Hindu woman graduate of Uttar Pradesh—Kanya Gurukul Dehradun emerged as a  value-based education institution. The curriculum emphasized Sanskrit, Vedas, household management, music, and physical education, nurturing girls to become morally upright,  and culturally rooted individuals. The Gurukul’s strict daily routine, focus on brahmacharya, vegetarian diet, and simple living reflected Dayanand’s ideals of ‘simple living, high thinking’. The institution attracted students from various parts of India and abroad, becoming a model for similar Kanya Gurukuls across North India. This study highlights how Kanya Gurukul Dehradun not only challenged prevailing social taboos around women’s education but also produced graduates who became educators, activists, artists, and public figures. This Kanya Gurukul  also played a vital role in the nationalist movement.