Early Preachers and Missionaries
The first Arya Samaj missionary to arrive in South Africa was Bhai Parmanand who arrived on 5 August 1905. During his four-month stay, he travelled to Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town. He was a dynamic orator in both English and Hindi and was received with enthusiasm by the local Indian community, including Mahatma Gandhi. He delivered discourses on Hindu culture, religion, Indian civilisation, faith in God, ceremonies, the importance of mother tongue and education. He emphasised the importance and significance of festivals and since then Deepavali has come to be recognised as a festival of Hindus. He established grassroots Arya Samaj committees to consolidate Hinduism amongst the Indians, established the Hindu Reform Society of Durban and the Hindu Young Men's Association in Pietermaritzburg and motivated the formation of the Hindu Maha Sabha, an organisation bringing together the diverse Hindu groups under one banner.
Swami Shankaranand, wo arrived in South Africa on 4 October 1908, urged Hindus to have pride in their religion and stressed the importance of religious lectures, rites and the study of Indian vernaculars. He succeeded in making Deepavali, the birth of Lord Rama and the birth of Lord Krishna important dates in the Hindu calendar. He founded Veda Dharma Sabhas in Durban and Pietermaritzburg but his greatest contribution was the establishment of the Hindu Maha Sabha in 1912.
The first locally born Arya Samaj activist was Pundit Bhawani Dayal, who returned from India at the age of twenty in 1912. He preached the Vedic religion and pioneered the propagation of Hindi in South Africa. He and his wife, involved themselves in Gandhi's satyagraha and were both imprisoned. In 1916, he organised a Hindi literary conference in Ladysmith and was the editor of two local Hindi language newspapers.
Another preacher, Swami Mangalanand Puri, came to Natal in 1913. He delivered lectures under the auspices of the Arya Yuvak Sabha and proved to be an eloquent Hindi orator. During his time, he attracted many young men who joined the Arya Samaj. In 1921 Pundit Ishwardutt Vedalankar, a graduate of Gurukul Kangadi (in India), came to Natal under the banner of the Arya Yuvak Sabha. As an eloquent speaker he attracted large audiences of all faiths. He concentrated on the correct performance of religious ceremonies and drew large crowds at Ramayan recitals.
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