AEGAEUM JOURNAL ISSN NO: 0776-3808

Vaikunda Swamikal and Social Reformation in South

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 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 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 .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 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

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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 , 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 , 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 and was sent out to salvage the Nadar and re-establish the rule of .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 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

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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. He condemned the worn-out customs and caste rules of the time. His teachings created an awakening among the socially oppressed classes. The custom and caste ridden society underwent revolutionary changes by his efforts. He tirelessly strove to remove the inequality based on birth and to establish a casteless society.19 He condemned those who divided the society into many groups and considered them as nisargal .20 He wanted to unite all the backward . To attain the object of equality and unity among all castes, he advocated effective measures.

Vaikunda Swamikal made an appeal to the lower caste people to lead an independent life without any fear of the dominant castes. He vowed to remove the humility, which was imposed on them by the government and by the caste Hindus. 21 He was much pained by the atrocities to which the low caste had been subjected at the time. His claim that he was the manifestation of Lord Vishnu was an announcement to the world that the dark days of the suppressed people are over and they should achieve glory by their unity and integrity. Vaikunda Swamikal

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inculcated the spirit of social-equality among the members of the Nadar community. He wanted to liberate the low caste people from the grip of superstitious beliefs and caste oppression which greatly impeded the progress of the society. He willingly sacrificed all material gains along with his life for the sake of service to the society.

Vaikunda Swamikal founded a society known as ` Samatuva Samajam' to establish equality among the various castes and to protect the rights of the under-privileged. 22 Thousands of people joined this society as members. He had five prime disciples in the name of the Pandyas. They were Sivanandi ( Dhruman ) of Mylaudy, Pandaram ( Biman) of Kailaspuram, Arjun of Pillaiyarkudiyimppu, Subbiah ( Nahulan) of Colachel and Hari Gopalan ( Sahadevan ) of Thamarikulam. Swamikal also had many female devotees. 23 He trained his disciples how to preach his doctrines among the people. He advised them not to impose their message compulsorily. He advised them to form a social organization to fight for their rights and he asked them not to give up truth. He sent his disciples to different places for the propagation of his doctrines. 24

They practised the principle of dharma and preached the idea of samatuvam (equality) among the people of various castes. The people gave a warm welcome to the disciples and tried to follow the teachings of Swamikal. He became the radical social reformer of the Age

Inter Dining

Vaikunda Swamikal took meticulous care to promote the spirit of inter-dining. In order to abolish the feeling of , Swamikal introduced Samapanthibhojanam (inter-dining) among the various castes. During those days, individuals of different castes were prohibited from eating together. Even among Sudras , inter- dining was strictly avoided. Samuel Mateer observes: "The men and women of one house will not eat the meals prepared by the members of another, nor sit for eating together in the same row." 25 In this state of affairs, Swamikal prepared the ground for inter-dining. His methods were innovative, practical and result-oriented, which steadily created awareness, motivated the lower caste people and wiped out the social-evils. He preached love and to his disciples and his followers in and around Sasthan Koil Vilai. His language was as simple and poetic as to enable even the illiterate people to understand his teachings.

The followers of Vaikunda Swamikal, irrespective of caste brought food materials and cooked them in the water of the sacred well and ate together with Swamikal. 26 He sent his disciples to the houses of other caste people in order to encourage inter-dining. Once he sent two of his disciples to the house of Pitchaiammal, a washerwoman in answer to the spiritual necessity of the day. Though she served a fine dinner to the disciples, they refused to take it for the first time. When Swamikal came to know the matter, he forced his disciples to take the food from the house of that poor washerwoman. It is indeed a revolutionary step as it was popularized in South Kerala a century prior to its popularization in Kerala by . 27 The inter-dining started by Vaikunda Swamikal in 1840 still continues in the with the same spirit. 28

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Nizhalthankals

Vaikunda Swamikal founded Nizhalthankals to common people who had no access to orthodox Hindu temples. It was used mainly to propagate his faith and to feed the poor and the hungry. In appearance the Nizhalthankals were nothing but small huts which give nizhal or shade to the people. The people considered these Nizhalthankals as the abode of Lord Vishnu. Vaikunda Swamikal used the Nizhalthankals as an institution to unite all the people and that tradition is maintained till date by his followers . Nizhalthankals were mainly for the cause of Dharma Paripalanam (Execution and maintenance of Dharma ). He stressed his devotees to follow his words with all strictness and informed that if any one violates his words in their service in the Nizhalthankals they would be punished. He instructed his followers to adopt strict discipline in the work or Dharmaparipalanam .29

Vaikunda Samikal established the Nizhalthankals at Ottiyal Vilai, Osaravilai, Chettikudyiruppu, Agastiswaram, Paloor, Sundavilai, Vadalivilai () Kadambankulam, Pambankulam, Matliaganeri and Madanpillai Darman (Tinmelveli district). Following these, his followers established a large number of Nizhalthankals in various places of . The Nizhatthankals formed an important institution in the socio-religious life of the people. They brought all the people together, irrespective of their caste distinctions. They also revolutionized the mode and formalities of worship in temples. Within a short span of time, a large number of Nizhalthankals were established. The common people call these Nizhalthankals as Narayanaswamikoil or pathis and people belonging to various castes come to worship in these pathis .30

They conduct festivals generally twice or thrice a year. The festival is generally called Eaduvasipuvizha, during which they preach dharma to the poor people. The followers of Swamikal strictly avoid making any offerings to the other Hindu temples. There should be no idol worship or animal sacrifices in these Nizhalthankals . Their worship is nothing but offering dharma in the name of Ayya. Truth, charity, love and mercy were the principles to be advocated by his followers.

Thuvayalpanthy

In those days the lower caste people were not accustomed to regular bath, and they rarely washed their dress properly because of their incessant work. He advised his followers to observe personal hygiene. Swamikal led his followers to tapa (meditation) at Muttapathi, a coastal village near Kanyakurnari and conducted Thuvayalpanthy .31 Hundreds of families participated in the meditation. Through this organization, Swamikal trained his people to inculcate the idea of purity of thought and action. His followers are expected to meet the socio-religious needs of the local community in spite stall hardships. In those days the lower castes were extremely found of fish and tobacco. Swamikal discouraged the use of these things. He made them wash their dress, take regular bath and eat simple vegetarian food. He also trained them to take food only after prayer. He asked the people to say regular prayers in the morning, at mid-day and in the evening every day. He prepared the people to lead a planned and noble life. The primary motive of Swamikal was to abolish caste and asked his followers not to observe caste distinctions. 32

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Swamikal tried to change the model of their housing. In his days, the low caste was not allowed to build any storeyed houses and was not permitted to build their houses on the roadside. Their dwellings were miserable huts made of sticks with walls of mud. In most cases instead of walls, curtains made of coconut leaves thatched with grass were used. 33

Their dwellings were scattered and not clustered together on either side of the street or road. There were no public pathways or streets connecting their dwellings with each other. 34 Swamikal instructed the people to build houses with rooms and to build them close to each other. He also directed his followers to construct their dwellings in a regular order and to provide each house with doors in four directions. 35 Thuvayalpanthy gave a new life to the people. They did not practice any sectarian practices in worshipping as others did. He invited people of all castes to Nizhalthankals . He brought an awareness of human rights to the Nadars and an awakening of a sense of social brotherhood. The pastor of Thamaraikulam church reported in 1892: It is true that the Nadars ' house is cleaner than those of the rest 36 and they kept their bodies also clean. Thus, Swamikal's work changed the life-pattern of the downtrodden Nadars in concentrated areas. Tradition holds that Vaikunda Swamikal was the of Lord or Vishnu to safeguard the downtrodden.

Muttirikinaru

As a general custom, the lower castes were prohibited from drawing water from public wells and ponds. The upper caste people had separate wells so that they could avoid the presence and pollution of the lower caste people. The took bath in the temple ponds before their worship in the temples but the lower castes were not permitted to take bath in the so-called sacred water of the temple pond. Vaikunda Swamikal transgressed the prevailing order and dug a well popularly-called Muttirikinaru 37 at Swamithoppu. It was open to all people, irrespective of their caste. 38 The people of various castes took their holy bath in the well and the bath was called muttiripatham .39 Alarmed at the unity of the deprived social groups, the Caste Hindus tried to prevent the people from taking bath in a common well, and they poisoned the well. 40 But their attempt was foiled by the miraculous power of Swamikal. The people continued to assemble in large numbers and had their ceremonial bath, ignoring all their caste distinctions. It is a regular practice that lunatics and patients having no cure even after prolonged medical treatment stay in the temple take bath in Muthirikinaru , pray on the Samadhi of Vaikundar chanting Ayyasivasivaarakaraarakara believing that they will be completely cured of their illness. 41 This reform zeal achieved two results; firstly it stemmed the tide of conversion to Christianity. Secondly, it made the Nadars and other oppressed communities feel a sense of honour with the view to improving the lot of the suppressed communities. He induced men to revive the old Hindu faith and reconcile that tradition with modern life style in a matured spirit of religion. He established centres of worship ( pathis ) to inculcate in his followers a spirit of broad- mindedness and universal brotherhood. Vaikunda Swamikals philosophy encompassed the welfare of all. His concept had a philosophy which could be propounded by even the educated people.

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Love Flag

Vaikunda Swamikal gave much importance to love and charity in social life. He considered these qualities as the bed-rock of his movement. He adopted a flag for his movement, which was popularly known as Anpukodi or flag of love. He called his followers Anpukodimakkal (children of love flag). The flag is red ochre in colour which is the symbol of sacrifice and strong mind, with a white tridental mark which stands for purity, peace and love. The mark is also in the shape of a lamp which expresses the idea of wisdom and justice. In the pathis and Nizhalthankals , tine followers of Swamikal even now hoist this specific flag of love. From the direction of the flag hoisted at Swamithoppu the devotees estimate the good and evil things. If it flies towards the south, rain will be scarce, but if it flies towards the north, it means assured 'rains."42 The devotees of Swamikal carry this flag in their procession on the incarnation day (Masi 20) of every year. A direction or right path was given in the evolutionary march of mankind.

Welfare of the Women

Though the activities of Vaikunda Swamikal and his disciples were mainly concerned with spiritual matters in the beginning, they slowly became interested in social reform activities. One of the social problems to which they paid their attention was that to the British, the Indian women were "miserable, uneducated, mere animals kept for burden or for slaughter." 43 Traditions and customs were heavily loaded upon them. In the poor, low caste or slave women, writes Samuel Mateer, who are obliged to labour for their daily support, have nothing to eat on any day on which they remain idle, presenting a direct contrast to the comfort of higher section as might be expected from the condition of extreme and enforced degradation in which they have been so long kept, and the contempt and abhorrence with which they are universally regarded, yet they are human as well as their superiors. They work hard and suffer from sickness. It appears in the laws by which a man's partner in life may be sent off at a moment's notice. Their grievances sometimes burst out in such an exclamation as, 'better to be a cold than to have been born woman' He was deeply moved by this unfortunate situation of that period. Caste regulations required low-caste females to carry the water pot only on the head, not on the hip or side. 44 Even in the early part of the 19 th century, Vaikunda Swamikal urged for their liberation from the oppression of caste-ridden society. He exhorted women to fight against every form of oppression. He stressed the chastity of womenfolk. He appealed to the people to protect women and to discourage their vice. 45 He encouraged them to feel proud of their traditions, which was the prerequisite of the day.

Liberation of the Deprived Classes

In order to put the deprived classes on equality with the upper caste people, he encouraged his people to wear shoulder cloth and to carry pot on their hip. He condemned the State for collecting excessive taxes from the lower caste people and exempting the higher castes from all types of taxes and works. 46 He asked his followers to stop working for the higher castes free of costs and submitting to them helplessly. Vaikunda Swamikal appealed to the people not to pay more taxes, and reminded them that 'one should enjoy the wealth of his labour one should have the right to the wages of his labour. He exhorted the lower caste people not to do uliyam anymore. 47 Ayya

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Vaikundar advised the people to engage in agriculture and horticulture avoiding lethargy and balck magic. No wonder that Thovala taluk became famous as the heaven of flowers all over the world. He encouraged his followers to resist the caste oppression by any means. He went to the extent of calling the Travancore King as Anantha Neesan (Oppressor) and the colonial master, the British as Venneesan ( White oppressor) for both formed a nexus in exploiting and oppressing the down trodden and peasant agricultural labourers.

There were strong reactions among the upper caste people to the teachings of Vaikunda Swamikal, which shook the foundation of the Hinds religious orthodoxy. They induced the Maharaja Swathi Thirunal to suppress the revolutionary reform movement of Vaikunda Swamikal. Finally, Swamikal was arrested and imprisoned in the royal prison at Singarathope. 48 While in prison, he had to undergo severe trials and tribulations. 49 It is believed that Swamikal, overcame all the harsh ordeals with supernatural powers. 50 At last, the Government had no other way but to release Swamikal. In 1839 a royal order was issued to the effect that, in future, Swamikal would engage only among the people of his own community, Nadars . This royal order was never respected and Swamikal continued the reform movement with added strength.

Religious Reform

The religious reform of Sri Vaikunda Swamikal left an everlasting influence on the social life of Kerala. Though his religious reforms challenged the Hindu orthodoxy, it neither encouraged the people to worship any particular God, nor to construct any temple or conduct any ceremony. He laid emphasis on dharma or charity to attain salvation. His principle, in its esssence, is to see God in the smile of the poor. He made it clear that those who help the poor were his people and they would attain the lotus feet of God. According to his religious doctrine, one can see the invisible hands of God with the poor because God is, with none but the poor. Universal brotherhood and prosperity to one and all is the motto of this cult. His ideology cuts across the narrow limits of caste, creed and religion, and his universal religion is applicable to all. The main object of the teachings of Swamikal was to prepare the world towards the reign of DharmaYuga by overcoming Yuga . Regarding the nature of Dharma Yuga, he says that there will be only one ruler, one religion and one caste for all. In the Dharma Yuga there will be no crimes or vices among the people. He assured the people that Dharma Yuga will come soon. 51 His idea of the reign of Dharma Yuga made him a great humanist and a Universalist. His humane attitude had a soothing effect. His proceedings had an undercurrent of Philanthropic approach and the equality of mankind would be there in the Dharma Yuga. Being an optimist he aimed at a welfare society free from social evils.

Swamikal's religious reform was blended with social reform, for they were complementary to each other. The reason is that the early nineteenth century served as the principal and leading force in implementing all social changes in India. Moreover, in a state like Travancore, where religion was used as the pivotal force for conducting the day to-day administrative affairs, and where even kings themselves were subordinated to the priests, Swamikal thought that, social reform would be possible only with religious reform. His logical acumen guided him not to alienate religion from society. He used religion only to rouse the people, for he knew, that "the Hindu man drinks religiously, sleeps religiously, walks religiously, marries religiously, and even robs religiously." Swamikal

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had a scientific temper, coupled with a rational approach. He was never in the ivory tower but had a down-to-earth realistic assessment of the social fabric and the texture of religion. He never established any religious system like Buddhism or Jainism. His concept of religion was 'Universal love and brotherhood of man' which could alone bring peace, justice, social equality and harmony. 52 However, with the emergence of his reform movement, a new sect of appeared as a curious phenomenon in the religious history of Travancore. 53

Priesthood

Swamikal raised his voice against the temple priests. Soon after his revelation at Tiruchendur he preached against the rites and rituals conducted in the temple of the town and openly condemned the Nambuthiris , for they led a life of case and pleasure in the temple Precincts. He appealed to the people to abandon all their religious rites in connection with that temple. He condemned a large number of superstitious and religious practices. He personally witnessed the elaborate rituals and expensive festivities in which the innocent poor people were exploited by the temple priests. He advised the people to denounce the meaningless religious rituals. He also criticized and condemned the devadasi system prevailingin the Brahmanical temples. 54

Against Idol Worship

Like the other contemporary reform movements of India in the 19th century, Vaikunda Swamikal condemned the worship of idols. Leading to all sorts of meaningless ritualistic practices and giving birth to superstition, the idol worship led the priests to exploit the illiteracy and ignorance of the common people. Hence, Swamikal denounced idol worship and compelled his followers to detest and resist the same. During the period of Vaikunda Swamikal, the lower caste people worshipped their in the form of images or idols. Although they had no temples for their gods, they erected small pyramids of mud or bricks in their honour, plastered and white washed. A large number of such pyramids existed all over rural areas. He considered his kind of worship as an uncivilized custom and protested against worshipping images by his followers. Instead of an image for worship, Vaikunda Swamikal installed a mirror (1851). Its objective was to make one realize his self as it is while worshipping a God in any form. 55 The mirror is supposed to tell the devotee 'first see yourself and you can visualize God in you'. When a person looks at the mirror, it will reflect the person as he is. If a person wants to see God as he thinks how a God must be, he should look at the mirror. The presence of God is inside everybody's mind and one should realise him when he looks at the mirror. The practice of installing mirror as an object of worship was introduced by Sree in the closing years of his religious reform. 56

Against Animal Sacrifice

Vaikunda Swamikal was a severe critic of animal sacrifice. In India even though the social reformers constantly protested against animal sacrifice and cruelty to animals they could not practice it. But unlike others, Swamikal practiced what he preached. It was a period of superstitious beliefs that the lower caste people never prayed properly to their gods for blessing and gifts. 57 In order to prevent the evil influence of devil deities, the people tried to appease them to secure their favour. They sacrificed goats, cocks and hens. Swamikal condemned

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these ugly religious customs and fought against animal sacrifices. 58 The devotees of Swamikal strictly adopted his principle and gave up the practices which were opposed by the Swamikal.

Towards a Universal Religion

The followers of Swamikal smeared tiruman (scared soil) on their forehead and at times on the part of their body as well. The reform of Swamikal revolutionized the practice of wearing namam . It is a customary practice in pathis and nizhalthankals that the Gurukkal put the mark on the forehead to each and every worshipper in person and give tiruman to each individual in his hands. It was calculated to dispel disparity shown among the people in getting the holy ash from the temple priests. In the case of Suchindram temple , till 1928 A.D. the prasadam or holy ash was given in the hands of Brahmins by the Vattappalli or his assistant, while it was thrown on a raised platform of stone near the Sabha Mandapa to be picked up by the non-Brahmin worshippers. The reforming zeal of Vaikunda Swamikal, gradually transformed it into the level of a cult.

The Vaikunda Swami cult turned upside down the caste hierarchy of the society. The effective teachings of Vaikunda Swamikal stimulated the social aspirations. He aspired to remove the inequality based on birth. His objective was to establish a casteless society. In short, the message of Vaikunda Swamikal sowed seeds of social equality among the Nadars irrespective of the religion they belonged to. It also instilled a sense of unity to fight for their social uplift and showed a strong sense of unity to protect their just social rights. No wonder, the ideology manifested itself in the spiritual reform movement that followed them.

Notes and References

1 K.N. Panikkar, Culture. Ideology Hegemony Intellectuals and Social Consciousness in , New Delhi, 1995, p.7. 2 Antonio Gramsci, Selections livnt Prison Note Book , London, 1971,p.1 3 Kate Crehan (ed.), Gminsci, Culture and Anthropologv , London, 2002, p.130. 4 Robert W Cox, Gramsei, Hegemony and International Relations in Stephen Gill (ed.), Gramsci, Historical Materialsims and International Relations , Cambridge, 1993, p. 51. 5 Muthukutty was born to Ponu Nadar and Veiyelal. The Child was named as Mudisoodum Perumal, meaning the Lord with a crown. There was stiff opposition for the name and his parents were compelled to change the name to Muthukutty. N.Elengo and Vijayashanthi Elango, , The Light of the World . Theni, 1997, p.5. 6 Dubois J Abbe, Indu Manners, Customs and ceremonies , New delhi, 1973, pp. 203-4 7 M.S.S. Pandyan, Meaningof Colonialism and Nationalism, Studies in History , p. 177. 8 P. Sarveswaran, Vaikunda Swamikal, Journal of Kerala Studies , Vol XIV, p. 1 9 R Ponnu, `Sri Vaikunda Swamikal and his Struggle for Social Justice', Journal of Indian History , Vol. LXXVI- LXXVIII. pp.65-80. 10 Samuel Mateer, Land of Charity , London. 1871, p.4. I 11 SamuelMateer, Native life in Travancore , London, 1883, p. 4. 12 Caldwell. Lectures on the Tinnevelly Mission , London, 1857. pp.44- 45. 13 P. Ramachandran, Suchindram Salyagraha, Journal of Kerala Studies , Vol. III, part II, June 1976, p.1. 14 James Hough. The History of Christianity in India , Vol II, London. 1839, pp. 226-227. 15 Samuel Mateer, op. cit ., p.294. 16 Robert L. Hardgrave, The Nadars of Tamil Nadu , p. 59. 17 It was a traditional custom among the Nadars that when a boy attained the sixteenth year, he would wear a head- cloth called Urumalkettu and to carry a knife as weapon of defence. T.K. Veit' Pillai, op.cit , Vol.I, p. 856 18 T. Balachandran, Arul Nool (T), Suchindram, 1988, p. 19. (Here after Aul Nool ).

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19 Vaikunda Swamikal propagated the dictum, jationreye, mathamomeye kulamonreye , ulakamonreye, daivamonrye , see. P. Sarveswaran Sri Vaikunda Swamikal, A forgotten social reformer of Kerala, Journal of Kerala studies , Vol. VII, 1980, p. 5. 20 K. Pachaimal, Ahilam (T), Suchindram, 1994, p. 165. (Here after Ahilam ) 21 Arul Nool , p. 67. 22 R,N. Yesudas, Peoples Revolt in Travancore , Trivandrum, 1975, p. 135. 23 Ahilam p. 315. 24 Arul Nool , pp. 40-52. 25 Samuel Mateer, n.11.p.111 26 Ahilam , p. 241. 27 Sahodaran Ayyappan (1889-1968) came under the influence of Sree Narayana Guru, founded the Sahodara Sangam in 1917 and was a great exponent of inter dining in Kerala to eradicate caste distinction in the 20 th century. 28 Interview with Balaprajapathi Adikalar on June 05, 2007 at Swamithoppu. 29 Arul Nool , p. 17 30 C. Desikavinayagam Pillai, Nachilnattu Marumakkal Vazhi Manmiyam , Madras, 1965, p. 112. 31 Thuvayalpanthy simply means integration and purification of a group. 32 R. Ponnu, p. 71. 33 K.K. Pillai, The caste system in Tamil Nadu, Journal of Madras University , Vol. XLIX, No. 2, Madras, 1977, p. 70. 34 Census of India , 1961, Vol. IX, Part VI, Madras 1965, pp. 1-2. 35 Ahilam , p. 281. 36 Annual Report of LMS, Nagarcoil Mission District , , 1892, p. 14. 37 Muttirikinaru simply means the well on which Lord Vishnu is said to have affixed His seal. 38 Ahilam , p. 281. 39 A custom of taking bath and observe peance at Muttiripatham is popular even now. The devotees of vaikunda Swamikal take this before their workship in the . They consider it as holy water and use if for healing their diseases. 40 Arul Nool , p. 23. 41 Field visit at Swamithoppu 42 S.M.L Lakshmana Chettiar, Folklore in Tamil Nadu , New Delhi, 1973, p. 28. 43 G.D. Bearee, British Attitude towards India , 1748-1858, Oxford, 1961, p. 81. 44 Samuel Mateer, Land of Charity , pp. 207-8. 45 Ahilam , p. 209. 46 The tax system in the 19 th century was such that the bulk of the taxes fell upon the lower castes. 47 Interview with Bala Prajapathi Adikalar P. Sundaram Swamikal and K. Ponnumoni, Ayya Vaikunda Nathar (Mal.) Biography), Swamithoppu, 2001, p. 53. ( Avaravar thedum muthal avaravar vaithandidungo : Vaikunda swamikal) 48 Philip M Prasad, Vaikundapadar, Thekkan Keralathinte Shilpi , Mathrubhumi Weekly , (Mal.), September 09, 2001, p. 18. 49 While Vaikunda Swamikal was in prison, it is believed that, the jail authorities plotted several times to kill him, once poisonous milk was administered made him walk through a fire pit; put him into a limestone kiln confined him in an air tight room and fumigated it with chillies and as a final attempt, threw him in front of a starving tiger. 50 P. Narayanan, Haindava Navodhanathinte Mudi Choodum Perumal Vaikunda Swamikal, Kesari , (Mal. Weekly), Kozhikode, August 20, 2000, p. 7. 51 Ibid , p. 146. 52 Interview with Bala Prajapathi adikalar. 53 Samuel Mateer, Land of Charity , p. 222. 54 Ahilam , pp. 22-27. 55 P. Sundaram Swamikal, (Biography), p. 107. 56 The last temple consecrated by Sree Narayana Guru was at Kalavancode in Chertalai where he installed a mirror. C.V. Kunjuraman, speech at the Nadar conference at Neyyatinkara on September 29, 1940. File No. 2941/44/CS, BundleNo. 23, KSA. 57 W.H. Dalton, Misson in India , London, 1864, pp. 97-98. 58 Ahilam, p. 198.

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