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Arya Samaj : a social-reform body founded by Swami Dayānanda Saraswati in 1875 to re-establish the Vedas as a living religious scripture. He rejected all later accretions to the Vedas as degenerate. It has done a great deal of social & educational work, especially in Punjab & Uttar Pradesh. The Arya Samāj greatly stemmed the tide of conversion of Hindus to other religions, & reclaimed converted people to the fold of Hinduism & contributed to the eventual growth of Indian nationalism by teaching the Hindus that, irrespective of the divisions into castes & existence of different social practises, they were an integrated people. His ideals are practised at the Gurukūla founded at Hardwar which was raised in 1907 to the status of a University teaching through Sanskrit as the medium of instruction.