Founded the Bharat Stree Mahamandal, one of India's first women's organizations

In 1910, Sarala Devi Chaudhurani founded the Bharat Stree Mahamandal in Allahabad, an organization widely regarded as one of the first pan-Indian women's associations. Unlike earlier women's groups that were often localized or tied to reformist religious movements, the Mahamandal aimed to establish branches across the country to promote women's education, self-reliance, and social upliftment regardless of caste or region.

The organization was revolutionary for its time because it was conceived and led entirely by an Indian woman, addressing the needs of Indian women through an indigenous framework rather than through colonial or missionary institutions. Branches of the Mahamandal were soon established in cities such as Lahore, Delhi, Amritsar, Karachi, and Hyderabad, making it one of the earliest national-level networks advocating for women's rights in India.

Sarala Devi's vision combined physical training, vocational education, and cultural pride, believing that Indian women needed both intellectual and physical strength to participate fully in the freedom struggle and social reform. This initiative predated many later, more famous women's organizations in India and laid crucial groundwork for the organized women's movement that would grow throughout the 20th century. Her work with the Mahamandal cemented her legacy as a foundational figure in Indian feminist and nationalist history, bridging elite reformist circles with grassroots women's mobilization.