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REFORM · DAYANAND · TANKARAArya Samaj
The town of Tankara in Morbi gave India a giant of reform — Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati, founder of the Arya Samaj, whose call of "back to the Vedas" reshaped modern Hindu thought.
The birthplace of a great reformer
Tankara, a small town in Morbi district, is the birthplace of Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati (born 1824), one of nineteenth-century India’s most influential reformers. Founder of the Arya Samaj, he preached a return to the authority of the Vedas and campaigned fiercely against social ills — caste discrimination, superstition and the neglect of education, especially for women. A memorial (Dayanand Dham) at Tankara honours the sage and draws followers from across the country.
Founder of the Arya Samaj
Mool Shankar — later Dayanand Saraswati — was born at Tankara in 1824 into a Brahmin family of the Morbi region.
He left home as a young man and spent years as a wandering ascetic, studying with teachers across northern India in search of what he considered authentic dharma.
He founded the Arya Samaj at Bombay in 1875, built on the authority of the Vedas and a rejection of idol worship, hereditary caste and priestly intermediaries.
The movement spread rapidly through north and west India, founding schools, campaigning for widow remarriage and women's education, and shaping the reform politics that followed.
Why come
Dayanand
Dayanand ranks among the most consequential Indian reformers of the nineteenth century, alongside Rammohan Roy and Vivekananda.
Arya Samaj
The Arya Samaj remains active, running schools and institutions across India and among the diaspora.
Vedic call
His central argument was a return to Vedic authority, and a rejection of what he saw as later accretions — idolatry, ritual for its own sake, hereditary priesthood.
Tankara Dham
Dayanand Dham at Tankara marks his birthplace and functions as both memorial and working centre of the movement.
Social reform
He campaigned directly against caste discrimination, child marriage and the exclusion of women from education.
A living idea
His influence carried into the independence movement, and several nationalist leaders came out of Arya Samaj schools.
What to see
THE FOUNDERDayanand
Dayanand Saraswati, born at Tankara in 1824 and founder of the Arya Samaj.
THE SITETankara Dham
Dayanand Dham, the memorial at his birthplace and a centre of the movement.
How to engage with it
Visit Tankara
Visit Tankara itself, an ordinary Morbi-district town that produced an extraordinary reformer.
See the memorial
See Dayanand Dham, the memorial complex marking his birthplace.
Learn his life
Follow the arc of his life: from a Brahmin household through years of wandering asceticism to founding a reform movement.
Grasp the Samaj
Understand the core argument — Vedic authority against later ritual accretion — which is what the Arya Samaj was built on.
Know the reforms
Note the social programme: against caste discrimination and child marriage, for widow remarriage and girls' schooling.
Attend a havan
Watch a havan if one is running. The Vedic fire ritual is central to Arya Samaj practice and replaces image worship.
A reformer who changed India
Dayanand Saraswati’s influence reached far beyond religion. The Arya Samaj he founded promoted education, opposed caste-based discrimination and untouchability, championed the upliftment of women, and stirred a spirit of self-respect that fed into the national awakening. For followers, Tankara is hallowed ground; for any traveller, it is a doorway into the reform movements that shaped modern India.
Our Morbi travel guide maps out the other places worth your time here.
Timing
Dayanand's birth anniversary brings the largest gatherings of the year to Tankara.
November to February is the comfortable season for a visit, as everywhere in Saurashtra.
April to June is hot and dry across Morbi district; go early in the day if you come then.
⏰ The memorial welcomes visitors year-round; Dayanand’s birth anniversary brings special gatherings.
Getting there
By Air
Rajkot (~50 km).
By Rail
Morbi / Rajkot.
By Road
Tankara, off the highway.
More in Morbi
PRINCELY LEGACY
Royal Morbi
Art-deco palaces of art-loving Thakors. Explore →
FOLK
Garba & Dayro
Morbi keeps the Saurashtra night alive — circling garba and paired-stick raas, and the beloved dayro, where a folk singer’s voice can hold a whole village until the small hours. Explore →
CRAFT
Ceramic Pride
Morbi is the ceramics capital of India — a town of a thousand kilns whose tiles, sanitaryware and crockery reach markets across the world, alongside its old fame for clocks. Explore →
FAIR
Saurashtra Melas
Across the Morbi countryside, the old rhythm of the Saurashtra mela endures — village fairs of cattle and craft, folk song and colour, where rural life gathers to trade and celebrate. Explore →
What to eat
SATTVICSattvic Meal
Simple, pure fare.
THALIKathiyawadi Thali
Saurashtra spread.
ROTLOBajra Rotlo
With butter.
CHAASChaas
Spiced buttermilk.
Arya Samaj FAQ
Who was Dayanand Saraswati?
A nineteenth-century Indian reformer, born at Tankara in 1824, who founded the Arya Samaj.
What is the Arya Samaj?
A Hindu reform movement founded in 1875 that called for a return to the Vedas and campaigned against social ills.
Why is Tankara important?
It is Dayanand’s birthplace, marked by a memorial (Dayanand Dham) revered by followers.
What did he stand for?
Vedic authority, education, women’s upliftment, and opposition to caste discrimination and superstition.
Where is Tankara?
In Morbi district, about 50 km from Rajkot.
When is the best time to visit?
Year-round, with special gatherings around Dayanand’s birth anniversary.
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Published 24 June 2026 · Updated 3 July 2026