''Thevar Jayanthi'', celebrated on 30 October, is an annual commemoration of the birthday of Pasumpon Muthuramalingam Thevar. It is celebrated in a grand way by the

Thevar The Mukkulathor people, who are also collectively known as Thevar, are a community or group of communities native to the central and southern districts of Tamil Nadu, India. They comprise the Agamudayar, Kallar and Maravar communities that s ...

community in the southern districts of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil languag ...

. Although not an official public holiday, many schools and businesses in the area remain closed on the day.

Thevar's legacy

Whilst having been active in politics, it is mainly the spiritual discourse of Thevar that explains his following after his death. Also, the fact that his date of birth and death lie some close to each other has been interpreted as a sign of supernatural powers.

Thevar Shrine

One of the main events on Thevar Jayanthi takes place at the ''samadhi'' (burial place) of Pasumpon Muthuramalingam Thevar, located at some 50 miles distance from

Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...

. Pilgrims gather to take part in the ceremonies at the ''samadhi'' on 30 October. In later years the ceremony at the ''samadhi'' has begun to attract prominent politicians.Robinson, Rowena.
Sociology of Religion in India
'. New Delhi .a. SAGE, 2004. pp. 165-168

Political controversy

The

All India Forward Bloc The All India Forward Bloc ( AIFB) is a left-wing nationalist political party in India. It emerged as a faction within the Indian National Congress in 1939, led by Subhas Chandra Bose. The party re-established as an independent political party ...

, the

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

to which Pasumpon Muthuramalingam Thevar belonged, has demanded that Thevar Jayanthi be declared a public holiday in Tamil Nadu. The event is not entirely uncontroversial. The

CPI(ML) Liberation A consumer price index (CPI) is a price index, the price of a weighted average market basket of consumer goods and services purchased by households. Changes in measured CPI track changes in prices over time. Overview A CPI is a statisti ...

has charged that the Tamil Nadu government should stop sponsoring Thevar Jayanthi celebrations, claiming that the event is utilized by

caste Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultural ...

ist forces.

2007 centenary celebrations

On 30 October 2007, the birth centenary of Pasumpon Muthuramalingam Thevar was celebrated. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister

M. Karunanidhi Muthuvel Karunanidhi (3 June 1924 – 7 August 2018) was an Indian writer and politician who served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for almost two decades over five terms between 1969 and 2011. He was popularly referred to as Kalaignar (Ar ...

took part in the celebrations in

Pasumpon ''Pasumpon'' is a 1995 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by Bharathiraja, starring Prabhu, Sivaji Ganesan, Sivakumar, Raadhika and Saranya Ponvannan. It was released on 14 April 1995. Plot For several years, Thangapandi is in feud ...

village. This was the first time in two decades that Karunanidhi participated in Thevar Jayanthi. At the celebrations, Karunanidhi suggested that

Madurai Airport Madurai Airport is a customs airport serving Madurai and its adjoining districts in Tamil Nadu, India. It is the 36th busiest airport in India, both in terms of passengers handled and aircraft movement. The airport is located near State Highwa ...

be renamed after Pasumpon Muthuramalingam Thevar. These moves were seen as an attempt by Karunanidhi's

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; DMK) is a political party based in the state of Tamil Nadu where it is currently the ruling party having a comfortable majority without coalition support and the union territory of Puducherry where it is curre ...

(DMK) party to challenge the supremacy of the rival

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; AIADMK) is an Indian regional political party with great influence in the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is a Dravidian party founded by the former chief ...

(AIADMK) over the Thevar community. The AIADMK leader

J. Jayalalitha Jayaram Jayalalithaa (24 February 1948 – 5 December 2016) was an Indian politician and actress who served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for more than fourteen years over six terms between 1991 and 2016. From 9 February 1989 to 5 December 2 ...

criticized Karunanidhi's participation in the Thevar Jayanthi centenary program, stating that he did not believe in Thevar's ideas. Moreover, she claimed that her previous government had allocated 30 million

rupees Rupee is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, ...

for the Thevar Jayanthi centenary, but that Karunanidhi's government had spent only five million rupees.

References

{{Reflist Annual events Unofficial observances Politics of Tamil Nadu October observances