Vaikunda Swamikal and Social Reformation in South Kerala
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AEGAEUM JOURNAL ISSN NO: 0776-3808 Vaikunda Swamikal and Social Reformation in South Kerala Dr. A P Alavi Bin Mohamed Bin Ahamed Associate Professor of Islamic History, Post Graduate and Research Department of Islamic History, Government College, Malappuram. [email protected] Abstract : This piece of research article shows that the preaching of Vaikunda Swamikal which aroused the spirit of self-respect among the members of the Nadar community. He considered the Nadars not as sons of labourers but called them Deiva Sanrorkal (divine people called Sanror), Neethi Sanrorkal (Sanrors who are for justice) and Desai Ventra Sanrorkal (the Sanrors who conquered countries). The movement of Vaikunda Swamikal aimed at uniting the lower caste people and to relieve them to a large extent from the shackles of oppression. He became a guiding star to them. He kindled the spirit of the Nadars through his activities. He emphasized the spread of education among the Nadars for the removal of superstitions and dogmatic traditions. The drift of Nadars towards conversion also declined. Even a few Christians were drawn to him.The Vaikunda Swami cult turned upside down the caste hierarchy of the society.He aspired to remove the inequality based on birth, his objective was to establish casteless society everywhere. Key Words: Vaikunda Swamikal, Nadar,Samatva Samajam, Inter-Dining,Nizhalthankals, Love Flag, Religious Reform, Priesthood, Idol Worship, Animal Sacrifice, Women Welfare. Introduction : Vaikunda Swamikal lived at a time when the Nadar community was undergoing social changes with regard to its social structure. In those days, the lower caste people were prohibited to wear cloth below the knee and above the waist. They were ever prohibited from using turban to carry any luggage on their head. They used a pad on head made of Palmyra leaves called summadu for carrying any luggage. As a reform and protest, Vaikunda Swamikal ordered his followers to wear turban on their heads. He appealed to his followers not only to cover the bosoms of their women folk but also to wear a turban on their head as a mark of their royalty and stirred the minds of the people to realise their rights and privileges. His teachings had a powerful impact on the Nadars. Before the genesis of popular socio-religious reform movements, he gave the clarion call to the oppressed communities to liberate themselves from the clutches of the caste Hindus.1 Being a philosopher turned social reformer he succeeded to inject the spirit of confidence in the minds of the Nadars and to correct the social maladies. Social Change in Kerala The nineteenth century witnessed far reaching changes in the social fabric of India in general and Kerala in particular. As Pointed out by K.N. Panikkar, the social practices and religious beliefs prevalent in the nineteenth century acted as impediments to progress. 1 All men are potentially intellectuals in the sense of having an intellect and using it, but not all are intellectuals by social action. 2 The Nadars of Kerala were compelled by circumstances to rise up to the occasion. They were longing for an agency to liberate them from the clutches of the feudal anarchy. The Christian Missionaries and the enlightened social reformers became the harbingers of such a change. The intellectuals are those who transform the incoherent and fragmentary feelings of those who have a particular class position into a coherent and rational account of the world as it appears from that position. 3 Volume 8, Issue 10, 2020 http://aegaeum.com/ Page No: 1077 AEGAEUM JOURNAL ISSN NO: 0776-3808 The social reformers like Vaikunda Swamikal who hailed from among the Nadars tried to educate and enlighten the masses and thereby empower them to bargain for their legitimate rights. In the words of Robert W. Cox, "they perform the function of developing and sustaining the mental images, technologies and organization which bind together the members of a class and of an historic bloc into a common identity." 4 Vaikunda Swamikal became the pioneer among the social reformers who championed the cause of the subaltern classes of Kerala. Vaikunda Swamikal hailed from the suppressed rung of the caste ridden Hindu society and raised vehement opposition to the caste Hindus. Swamikal was born in a poor Vaishnavite Nadar family in 1808 A.D. at Sasthan Koil Vilai, now known as Swamithoppu, a small village, eight kilometers North West of Kanyakttmari. In his boyhood, he was known as Muthukutty. 5 He spent his childhood in a village pial school where he learned the Puranas , the Epics, Tirukkural and other Tamil moral works with deep interest and enthusiasm. He displayed signs of greatness and individuality. At the age of twenty, he fell ill and suffered a lot of miseries. In 1832, he was taken to the famous Murugan temple at Tiruchendur, a Hindu pilgrim centre for sacred bath mainly to cure his disease as it was the belief that a bath in the holy waters was a remedy for all diseases. 6 At Tiruchendur, he attained enlightenment and assumed the name Vaikundar.’ At Tiruchendur, Muthukutty is said to have attained a revelation and declared himself the son of Lord Vishnu and was sent out to salvage the Nadar and re-establish the rule of Dharma .7 After his return to the native village, Vaikunda Swamikal commenced his reform activities in 1833. Large number of people assembled before him and began to hail him as their saviour and wanted his blessings. Using his miraculous power, he cured the diseases of the people and advised them how to lead a healthy and peaceful life. Long before the genesis of popular socio-religious reform movements, he gave the clarion call to the oppressed communities to liberate themselves from the clutches of the caste Hindus. 8 Being a philosopher turned social reformer he succeeded to inject the spirit of confidence in the minds of the Nadars and to correct the social maladies. 9 They were not allowed to enter public schools and government offices and services. The articles like oil, milk and butter touched by the Nadars were supposed to be polluted. They were not allowed to use ordinary language. 10 The Nadars were not permitted to carry umbrellas or to wear shoes, sandals or golden ornaments or to carry pots of water on the hip or to build tiled houses above one storey in height or to milk cows. 11 The Nadars were not allowed even to enter the Courts of Justice and they could get justice only from outside the Court. 12 They could worship God only from outside the temple. For instance they were not allowed inside Suchindram temple .13 The study of either sacred or profane science was also forbidden to these unfortunate people. 14 The Nadars were prohibited from the use of public roads, bridges, wells and caste Hindus villages. 15 They could not dine with others. The low caste people were not permitted to use the names of ruling class or the suffixes Volume 8, Issue 10, 2020 http://aegaeum.com/ Page No: 1078 AEGAEUM JOURNAL ISSN NO: 0776-3808 of the rulers. These social evils were making the ground ready for reform and revolt. Vaikunda Swamikal lived at a time when the Nadar community was undergoing social changes with regard to its social structure. In those days, the lower caste people were prohibited to wear cloth below the knee and above the waist. 16 They were ever prohibited from using turban to carry any luggage on their head. They used a pad on head made of Palmyra leaves called summadu for carrying any luggage. As a reform and protest, Vaikunda Swamikal ordered his followers to wear turban on their heads. 17 He appealed to his followers not only to cover the bosoms of their women folk but also to wear a turban on their head as a mark of their royalty and stirred the minds of the people to realise their rights and privileges. His teachings had a powerful impact on the Nadars. Vaikunda Swamikal's reform to use head-turban for men and upper gament for women was not less than a social protest, for it had opposed the caste supremacy and openly violated the prevailing custom. It gave a sense of freedom to the oppressed people and offered them a spirit of self-respect. His courageous and inspiring exhortations had a great effect. A new confidence was instilled in the minds of his followers. They shed their fear and all shades of subservience. They began to wear the turban without any fear. Even now the devotees of Swamikal sincerely follow the custom of wearing the turban at the time of their worship. As a result of the strenuous efforts of Vaikunda Swamikal the Nadars surpassed all other suppressed communities of the South. The preaching of Vaikunda Swamikal aroused the spirit of self-respect among the members of the Nadar community. He considered the Nadars not as sons of labourers but called them Deiva Sanrorkal (divine people called Sanror ), Neethi Sanrorkal (Sanrors who are for justice) and Desai Ventra Sanrorkal (the Sanrors who conquered countries). 18 The movement of Vaikunda Swamikal aimed at uniting the lower caste people and to relieve them to a large extent from the shackles of oppression. He became a guiding star to them. He kindled the spirit of the Nadars through his activities. He emphasized the spread of education among the Nadars for the removal of superstitions and dogmatic traditions. The drift of Nadars towards conversion also declined. Even a few Christians were drawn to him. Samatuva Samajam Vaikunda Swamikal contributed a great deal for the modernization of the Hindu society in South Kerala.