RAS question
The Theosophical Society's Indian headquarters were established at:
Correct answer: (D) Adyar, Madras.
The Theosophical Society's Indian and international headquarters were established at Adyar, Madras, now Chennai.
Explanation
Adyar, Madras, was the Theosophical Society's headquarters. The official Theosophical Society in America page confirms that the worldwide Theosophical Society was founded in New York in 1875 and has its international headquarters at Adyar, Chennai (Madras), India. Madame Blavatsky and Colonel H. S. Olcott founded the Society in New York, and its headquarters shifted to Adyar in 1882. The location matters because the Society became linked with the study of ancient Indian philosophy and religion, and later with Annie Besant, who became president in 1907 and used the platform in the wider nationalist milieu. Varanasi is associated with Besant's Central Hindu College, but the Society's headquarters was Adyar.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Pune was not the Theosophical Society's Indian base, and the Society's international headquarters stood at Adyar, Chennai (Madras), India.
- (B) Calcutta was an important colonial-era political and intellectual centre, but the Theosophical Society's international headquarters stood at Adyar, Chennai (Madras), India.
- (C) Varanasi is linked with Annie Besant's Central Hindu College, later associated with BHU, but that institutional association does not make it the Theosophical Society's headquarters.
Concept
Socio-religious reform movements in modern Indian history are often studied through the institutional bases of organisations active in the late nineteenth century. Headquarters, founders and associated leaders help connect reform movements with nationalism and education.