REVIVALIST TRENDS IN CONGRESS 53 them were also the pioneers of the Hindu Sabha, founded in December 1915 with headquarters at Allahabad.8 Madan Mohan Mala-viya was one among them. He was also a, patron and a keen supporter of the Prayag Hindu Samaj, the Sanatan Dharm Maha" sammelan and the Shuddhi Sabha, the organizations which triggered religious antagonism and contributed to the idea of separate communal identification. He personified Hindu revivalism as opposed to the secular traditions of the Nehru, Kunzru and Sapru families.9 It appears that the Congress, in the early years, faced a major dilemma. Its identification with Hindu revivalism resulted in a gradual alienation of the already sceptical Muslims. At the same time, because of its "non-communal form'5, as cherished by many, the appeal of the Gongrces diminished among the Hindu masses, and many, including Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal, Aurobindo Ghosh and Lajpat Rai, maintained that the Hindu masses could be roused through the use of religious predispose lions, the popularization of national myths, and the celebration of Hindu festivals.10 Tilak resolved this dilema by blending Hinduism with nationalism. He invoked the spirit of resurgent Hinduism to rouse the masses. He also resuscitated the tales of past Maratha greatness and the memory of Shivaji. These became the expressions of nationalism and a means of eliciting, activating and canalizing dormant political energies, but at the cost of alienating the Muslims. Moreover, the mobilization of the Hindus through the Ganapati festival intensified their feeling of communal solidarity, and as the festival was organized as a counterpart to the Muharram procession, it exacerbated Hindu-Muslim relations. The Deccan riots were the outcome of Tilak's campaign.11 Communal Tension Heightened The swadeshi (promotion of indigenous products) movement in Bengal, in spite of its impressive contribution to the anti-colonial struggle, had unmistakable revivalist overtones. The nationalism of men like Aurobindo Ghosh and Bipin Ghandra Pal was closely identified with the religious symbols of Hinduism, which received sustenance in the images of ancient Hindu glory and the supposed Hindu resistance to Muslim rule in India.13 The worship of the elephant-headed god Gancsh and of Bhawani, the demonstrative ablutions in the river Ganga, the fervent appeals to the "grim goddess" Kali—all involved a religious identity which gave the swadeshi movement a certain communal colouring.13 But it