Satya Shodhak Samaj organised

The correct answer is an anti-caste movement in Maharashtra.

The Satya Shodhak Samaj (meaning "Truth-Seekers' Society") was a remarkable social reform organisation founded by Jyotirao Phule on 24 September 1873 in Pune, Maharashtra. To understand why this organisation is associated with an anti-caste movement in Maharashtra, let us break it down step by step.

Step 1 – Who was Jyotirao Phule?
Jyotirao Govindrao Phule (also known as Mahatma Phule) was a pioneering social activist, thinker, and writer from Maharashtra. He belonged to the Mali (gardener) caste — a so-called "lower" caste — and experienced the deep injustices of the caste system firsthand. This personal experience drove him to dedicate his life to fighting caste-based oppression and discrimination.

Step 2 – What was the core purpose of Satya Shodhak Samaj?
The primary aim of the Satya Shodhak Samaj was to liberate the lower castes (especially Shudras and Ati-Shudras — the untouchables) from the social, religious, and economic exploitation imposed upon them by the upper-caste Brahmin orthodoxy. The organisation strongly opposed:

• The caste hierarchy embedded in Brahmanical Hinduism
• The Brahmin monopoly over religious rituals and priesthood
• The superstitions and blind faith used to keep lower castes subjugated
• The denial of education and social rights to women and lower-caste people

Step 3 – Key features that confirm this as an anti-caste movement:
Phule argued that the caste system was not divinely ordained but was a human-made tool of oppression. The Satya Shodhak Samaj took several radical steps to challenge this system:

• It rejected the authority of Brahmin priests, promoting the idea that one could communicate with God directly, without a priestly intermediary.
• It conducted marriages without Brahmin priests — using simple rituals in the local Marathi language rather than Sanskrit, making them accessible to all.
• It promoted education for women and lower castes — Phule and his wife Savitribai Phule opened schools for girls and lower-caste children, which was revolutionary at the time.
• It advocated for rational thinking and human dignity over ritual superiority based on birth.

Step 4 – Why Maharashtra specifically?
All of these activities were rooted in and primarily spread across Maharashtra. The organisation was born in Pune, operated through Maharashtra, and its philosophy deeply influenced Maharashtrian society. Phule's ideas later inspired leaders like Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, who carried forward the anti-caste struggle in the 20th century.

Step 5 – Eliminating the other options:
• A movement for upliftment of tribals in Bihar — Incorrect. Satya Shodhak Samaj was not focused on Bihar or tribals specifically.
• A temple-entry movement in Gujarat — Incorrect. While temple-entry movements did occur in India, they are associated with other reformers and regions (like the Vaikom Satyagraha in Kerala). Satya Shodhak Samaj's challenge was broader — it questioned the entire caste-based religious structure.
• A peasant movement in Punjab — Incorrect. Satya Shodhak Samaj was not a peasant (kisan) movement, nor was it based in Punjab.

Conclusion:
The Satya Shodhak Samaj, founded by Jyotirao Phule in 1873 in Pune, was fundamentally and unambiguously an anti-caste movement in Maharashtra. It challenged Brahmin supremacy, promoted rational social equality, and worked tirelessly for the dignity and rights of lower-caste communities in Maharashtra — making the third option the clear and correct answer.