India: Swami Vivekananda, Jaipur, c.1895

Swami Vivekananda (12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendra Nath Datta, was an Indian Hindu monk and chief disciple of the 19th-century saint Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the introduction of the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the western world and was credited with raising interfaith awareness, bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion in the late 19th century.

He was a major force in the revival of Hinduism in India and contributed to the notion of nationalism in colonial India. Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission. He is perhaps best known for his inspiring speech beginning with 'Sisters and Brothers of America', through which he introduced Hinduism at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1893.

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