Phule published Gulamgiri (Slavery) in Marathi, a landmark text attacking caste oppression and comparing lower-caste subordination to systems of enslavement, strengthening the intellectual basis of his anti-caste campaign.
Jyotirao (Jyotiba) Phule founded the Satyashodhak Samaj (“Truth-Seekers’ Society”) in Pune to challenge Brahminical domination, oppose caste hierarchy, and promote social equality for Shudras, Ati-Shudras, and women.
A pioneering Satyashodhak marriage was conducted without Brahmin priests or Sanskrit ritual authority, advancing the Samaj’s program of egalitarian, lower-cost, anti-caste life-cycle ceremonies.
Savitribai Phule adopted Yashwant Rao, who later became a doctor; the adoption was widely remembered as part of the Phules’ practical challenge to caste and gender restrictions (including stigma directed at widows).
The Marathi weekly Deenbandhu began publishing in Pune and became an important public platform associated with Phule’s Satyashodhak Samaj, articulating grievances of laboring people and supporting reformist ideas.
During the wider Deccan famine period, Satyashodhak Samaj members formed committees and undertook village-to-village relief (food, water, clothing), illustrating the movement’s emphasis on social action alongside ideological critique.
An appeal attributed to Phule announced that the Samaj would start a food shelter called Victoria Balashram near Pune (Dhanakwadi), reflecting organized Satyashodhak efforts to provide social relief during crisis.
After financial difficulties, Deenbandhu moved operations to Mumbai, but continued functioning as a reformist newspaper linked to Satyashodhak currents and a wider laboring-public readership.
Phule was publicly honored with the title “Mahatma” (“Great Soul”), a recognition that reflected the growing stature of his anti-caste and social reform work in Maharashtra.
Jyotirao Phule died in Pune, marking the end of his direct leadership; his writings and the Satyashodhak program continued to shape anti-caste and non-Brahmin politics and social reform in the region.
Phule’s Sarvajanik Satya Dharma Pustak (“Book of the True Religion for All”) was published, presenting his reformist religious and social views (including critique of priestly authority) in dialogue form.
Savitribai Phule died after contracting bubonic plague while aiding sufferers during the 1897 outbreak, and she is widely described as having continued Satyashodhak organizing after Jyotirao’s death.
Satyashodhak Samaj and Jyotirao Phule's anti-caste campaigns in Maharashtra (1873–1900)
