Meeting Places
Every Arya Samaj has its meeting place. In the principal cities all over India, it owns palatial buildings, containing lecture halls, committee rooms, etc. In smaller places it hires rooms for meetings. The young men's Arya Samajs generally use the premises of the main body, but occasionally have separate rooms of their own. In some places the premises are utilized for daily prayers and for club amenities as well. Every Arya Samaj is supposed to arrange for the teaching of Hindi and Sanskrit to such members as are unacquainted with those languages.

Arya Samajas organized on the above lines progressed very well. But this did not satisfy the Aryas. The provincial level organization as provided by Dayananda in the beginning had not yet been established. In consequence, a voice was raised for creation of provincial level organizations in late eighteen eighties.


After some serious efforts the dream was realized and the provincial apex bodies, called Prantiya Sabhas (Provincial Associations) or Pratinidhi Sabhas (Representatives' Associations) were formed in different provinces. To run its affairs, each Sabha had: 1 President; 1 or more vice-presidents; 1 secretary; 1 or more join secretaries; 1 treasurer, 1 librarian, and 7 to 21 members of the executive committee who were elected periodically by the elected delegates of all the Samajas in the province (state).


The office bearers and the executive committee conducted the affairs of the Samaj at the provincial level the way the individual Samajas conducted their affairs in their respective villages, towns or cities. The sabhas controlled and supervised the affiliating Arya Samajs and gave them directions whenever needed. They took care of the province level problems concerning the Samaj and its members. They organized research activities of the Samaj, appointed preachers and published periodicals/newspapers and literature for popularizing it among the masses. By 1902, Pratinidhi Sabhas had been established in most of the provinces (stats).

There was a phenomenal growth in membership of the Samaj. It grew 131 per cent in the first ten years (from 1891 to 1901). The position improved still further in the succeeding decade when the growth rate reached 163 per cent. In subsequent years even this limit was crossed. Although no figures are given in the census reports after 1931, yet it could be guessed that the Aryas in 1947 were over two million mark. The total number of Samajs all over the country was over 2,000.

Annual report