Premchand's literary career started as a freelancer in Urdu. In his initial short stories he has depicted the patriotic upsurge that was sweeping the country in the first decade of the 19th century. In 1914, Premchand started writing in Hindi. He was the first Hindi author to introduce realism in his writings. He pioneered the new art form of fiction with a social purpose. He wrote about the life around him and made his readers aware of the problems of the urban middle-class and the country's villages. Besides being a great novelist, Premchand was also a social reformer and thinker. Premchand has given an important role to religion in this novel and has portrayed India's rich cultural heritage remarkably. In this novel, with his impeccable narrative technique, Premchand has beautifully narrated about innumerable ascetic who lived near the river during those times.