Vaikom Satyagraha, from 30 March 1924 to 23 November 1925, was a

nonviolent Nonviolence is the personal practice of not causing harm to others under any condition. It may come from the belief that hurting people, animals and/or the environment is unnecessary to achieve an outcome and it may refer to a general philosoph ...

agitation for access to the prohibited public environs of the

Vaikom Temple The Sree Vaikom Mahadeva Temple is a temple dedicated to the Hinduism, Hindu god Shiva in Vaikom, Kerala, India. The temple, along with the Ettumanoor, Ettumanoor Shiva Temple and the Kaduthuruthy, Kaduthuruthy Shiva Temple is considered a pow ...

in the

Kingdom of Travancore The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...

was known for its rigid and oppressive caste system and hence

Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda (; ; 12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta (), was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the intr ...

called Travancore a "lunatic asylum". The campaign, led by

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

leaders T. K. Madhavan,

K. Kelappan Koyapalli Kelappan (24 August 1889 – 7 October 1971) was an Indian politician, independence activist, educationist and journalist. During the Indian independence movement, he was the lead figure of Indian National Congress in Kerala and was p ...

and

K. P. Kesava Menon Kizhakke Potta Kesava Menon (1 September 1886 – 9 November 1978) was a patriot, idealist and Indian independence activist. Menon was the founder of ''Mathrubhumi'', a popular daily newspaper which earned the second place in circulation in ...

, was noted for the active support and participation offered by different communities and a variety of activists. Most of the great temples in the princely state of

Travancore The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. A ...

had for years forbidden lower castes (untouchables) not just from entering, but also from walking on the surrounding roads. The agitation was conceived by the

Ezhava The Ezhavas () are a community with origins in the region of India presently known as Kerala, where in the 2010s they constituted about 23% of the population and were reported to be the largest Hindu community. They are also known as ''Ilhava'' ...

Congress leader and a follower of

Sri Narayana Guru Narayana Guru, , (20 August 1856 – 20 September 1928) was a philosopher, spiritual leader and social reformer in India. He led a reform movement against the injustice in the caste-ridden society of Kerala in order to promote spiritual e ...

, T. K. Madhavan. It demanded the right of the

s and 'untouchables' to use roads around the

. "Mahatma" Gandhi himself visited Vaikom in March, 1925.

government eventually constructed new roads near the temple for the use of lower castes. The roads, however, kept the lower castes adequately away from the near environs of the

and the temple remained closed to the lower castes. After the intervention of

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

, the agitation was given up and a compromise reached with Regent Sethu Lakshmi Bayi who released all those arrested and opened the north, south and west public roads leading to

Vaikom Mahadeva Temple The Sree Vaikom Mahadeva Temple is a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva in Vaikom, Kerala, India. The temple, along with the Ettumanoor Shiva Temple and the Kaduthuruthy Shiva Temple is considered a powerful place of Shiva. The belief i ...

to all castes.She refused to open the eastern road.The compromise was criticized by E. V. Ramasamy "Periyar" and some others. Only in 1936, after the

Temple Entry Proclamation The Temple Entry Proclamation was issued by Maharaja Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma Sree Padmanabhadasa Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma , popularly known as Sree Chithira Thirunal, was the last ruling Maharaja of the Princely Stat ...

, was access to the eastern road and entry into the temple allowed to the lower castes. Vaikom Satyagraha markedly brought the method of

public protest to Kerala.

Background

* T. K. Madhavan, an

leader, first advanced the question of temple entry of lower castes in an editorial in Deshabhimani newspaper in December, 1917. Temple entry of lower castes was discussed and resolutions were introduced at meetings of S N D P Yogam and the Travancore Assembly between 1917 and 1920. In 1919, an assembly of nearly 5,000

s demanded the right to entry into all Hindu temples managed by the Government of

. * In November, 1920, T. K. Madhavan, walked beyond the regulatory notice boards on a road near the

. He later publicly announced his defiance to the district magistrate. Madhavan's later temple-entry meetings in Travancore instigated counter-agitations from caste Hindus. * T. K. Madhavan met with "Mahatma" Gandhi at

Tirunelveli Tirunelveli (, ta, திருநெல்வேலி, translit=Tirunelveli) also known as Nellai ( ta, நெல்லை, translit=Nellai) and historically (during British rule) as Tinnevelly, is a major city in the Indian state of Tam ...

in September 1921 to inform him of the predicament of Ezhavas in Kerala. Gandhi, though initially oblivious to the position of the community in state, offered his support for the movement ("you must enter temples and court imprisonment if law interferes"). * At the 1923

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

session at

Kakinada Kakinada ( formerly called Kakinandiwada, Coringa, and Cocanada; ) is the sixth largest city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and serves as the district headquarters of the Kakinada District. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. J. ...

, a resolution was passed which committed the party to work for 'the eradication of untouchability'. This resolution was introduced by T. K. Madhavan. The resolution also stated that 'temple entry was the birthright of all Hindus'. * In January 1924, Congress leader

convened an 'Anti-untouchability Committee' within the K P C C. Kelappan later toured southern Kerala with a contingent of Congress leaders from

Malabar District Malabar District, also known as Malayalam District, was an administrative district on the southwestern Malabar Coast of Bombay Presidency (1792-1800) and Madras Presidency (1800-1947) in British India, and independent India's Madras State (19 ...

. Madhavan also succeeded in getting the finances, the Congress support and pan-India attention for the satyagraha. The S N D P Yogam also conveyed its approval of the agitation.

The agitation

A_protest_march_during_Vaikom_Satyagraha

Vaikom Siva Temple, like most other great temples of Kerala, had for years forbidden lower castes and the 'untouchables' not just from entering, but also from walking on the surrounding roads. * On 30 March 1924, a Nair, a

Pulaya The Pulayar (also Pulaya, Pulayas, Cherumar, Cheramar, and Cheraman) is a caste group mostly found in the southern part of India, forming one of the main social groups in modern-day Kerala, Karnataka and historically in Tamil Nadu. Tradition ...

and an Ezhava activist, followed by thousands of others, most of whom in khadar, attempted to walk on the Vaikom temple roads. The three were arrested by the Travancore police. More Congress activists, repeating the same act, were arrested by the police till the 10th April. Among the arrested where

, T. K. Madhavan, and

. Demonstrators marched each day to the Travancore police barricades (erected to "prevent clashes between communities"). They blocked the road, sat before the police lines on temple's four entrances and sang patriotic songs. Later in the campaign, activists undertook public fasts. During this period, some caste Hindus spurred attacks by ruffians on the protesters. * The events at Vaikom attracted pan-India attention. Congress leader C. Rajagopalachari and E. V. Ramasamy "Periyar", then associated with the Congress, arrived at Vaikom and offered advice to the activists. Most of the prominent Nair Congress leaders were subsequently arrested and

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

(Congress leader) George Joseph assumed the charge of the agitation. * The local

leadership was alienated by a statement by

Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

asking them to keep clear from 'a Hindu affair' (April, 1924).

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

Akali activisits from

Amritsar Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha ...

had also arrived at Vaikom to establish free food kitches to the satyagrahis (April, 1924). Gandhi called for the closure of the Sikh kitchens. E. V. Ramasamy "Periyar", then with the Congress, also participated in the satyagraha and was imprisoned twice. The participation earned Periyar the title "the Hero of Vaikom". Some radical participants such as K. Aiyappan associated themselves with forms of

Communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...

. * Mulam Thirunal, the king of Travancore, died in August, 1924. At the advice of

, caste Hindus marched from Vaikom to Trivandrum to present a memorial to the ruler of Travancore (stating that caste Hindus did not object to lower castes using the roads) (starting from November, 1924). Mannath Padmanabha Pillai, leader of the

Nair The Nair , also known as Nayar, are a group of Indian Hindu castes, described by anthropologist Kathleen Gough as "not a unitary group but a named category of castes". The Nair include several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom hist ...

community, led the second march to Trivandrum in 1925. A resolution to allow Ezhavas to use roads near the temple was defeated by one vote in the Travancore Legislative Council (opposed by all official members, introduced in October 1924, voted in February, 1925).

Settlement

Gandhi_in_Cochin_(during_Vaikom_Satyagraha)

"Mahatma" Gandhi, who had sent goodwill telegrams to the organizers, himself visited Vaikom in March, 1925. Gandhi held discussions with all parties (the protesters, the Namboodiri Brahmins,

, and the queen of Travancore). The police subsequently was withdrawn on the understanding that the activists would not enter the banned roads. * The Vaikom Satyagraha settled with a compromise which allowed the entry of lower caste Hindus to (the newly constructed) roads on three sides of the

. The other side and the temple remained closed to the lower castes (November, 1925).M.S.A. Rao, Social Movements and Social Transformation: A Study of Two Backward Classes Movements in India (first published in 1979: reprint New Delhi: Manohar, 1987), p. 66. The new roads also kept the lower castes adequately away from the near environs of the

. * The Vaikom Satyagraha had failed to convince the Ezhava leader

. The Guru wanted activists to 'not only walk along the prohibited roads but enter the temple'. The word on the street hinted that the

Narayana Guru Narayana Guru, , (20 August 1856 – 20 September 1928) was a philosopher, spiritual leader and social reformer in India. He led a reform movement against the injustice in the caste-ridden society of Kerala in order to promote spiritu ...

had distanced himself the from 'the activities of the S N D P'. He said to an Ezhava journalist,

Legacy

* Vaikom Satyagraha introduced (sustained)

public protest in Kerala. * The agitation revitalized the morale of the

Congress Party The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

in Kerala. * T. K. Madhavan became of the General Secretary of the Sri Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam in 1927. *

in Travancore (1936).

References

External links

Sri Narayana Guru
{{Gandhi Anti-caste movements Indian caste movements Hindu law Hindu temples in Kerala Kingdom of Travancore History of Kerala Nonviolent resistance movements Hindu movements Narayana Guru Ezhava Social history of Kerala

Satyagraha Satyagraha ( sa, सत्याग्रह; ''satya'': "truth", ''āgraha'': "insistence" or "holding firmly to"), or "holding firmly to truth",' or "truth force", is a particular form of nonviolent resistance or civil resistance. Someone wh ...

Periyar E. V. Ramasamy Protests in British India 1920 in India