Vishnubawa_Brahmachari
Vishnubawa Brahmachari
19th-century Hindu revivalist
Vishnu Bhikaji Gokhale (1825–1871), popularly known as Vishnubawa Brahmachari and as Brahmachari Bawa,[1] was a 19th-century Marathi Hindu revivalist. An ascetic defender of the Hindu dharma, he was known for his religious polemics, chiefly against Christianity. He was known for his "witty repartee and vigorous argument" confronting Christian missionaries and, occasionally, other Hindus. His 1857 debates in Bombay were widely publicized in English and Marathi in at least nine books. He has been described variously as "the first great revivalist of modern Maharashtra," "predecessor of the two great swamis of modern times, Dayananda and Vivekananda," and "a queer bird."[2]