The year 2024 marks the centenary of the Vaikom Satyagraha.
About Vaikom Satyagraha
Background: Vaikom was a temple town in the princely state of Travancore. The low-caste Hindus were not allowed to enter the temples.
Ezhava leader T. KMadhavan first raised the issue of temple entry in a 1917 editorial in his paper Deshabhimani.
In the 1923 session of the INC in Kakinada, a resolution was passed by the Kerala Provincial Congress Committee to take up anti-untouchability as a key issue.
Vaikom, with its revered Shiva temple, was chosen as the location for the very first satyagraha.
Vaikom Satyagraha was the first among temple entry movements in India
It lasted for 604 days (20 months) from March 30, 1924 to November 23, 1925
Reasons: The princely state of Travancore had a “feudal, militaristic, and ruthless system of custom-ridden government.
The idea of caste pollution worked not only based on touch but also sight — lower castes were forbidden entry to any “pure” place, such as temples and the roads surrounding them.
Prominent Leaders: The movement, was led by TK Madhavan, EVR Periyar, MK Gandhi, and Narayana Guru.
Temple Entry Proclamation: In November 1936, the Maharaja of Travancore signed the historic Temple Entry Proclamation which removed the age-old ban on the entry of marginalised castes into the temples of the state.
Impacts of the Vaikom Satyagraha
Vaikom Satyagraha was a testing ground for the Gandhian Principles of Satyagraha.
In 1925, Gandhiji wrote to W. H. Pitt, then Police Commissioner of Travancore to resolve the ongoing matter. Thus, Pitt intervened and signed a settlement between the Government and Gandhiji.
The Vaikom Satyagraha proclaimed its significance almost a decade later when in November 1936, the historic Temple Entry Proclamation was passed, which lifted the age-old Orthodox ban on the entry of marginalized depressed castes into the temples of Travancore.
It was also a great opportunity for the Indian National Congress Party to Grow in Kerala.
It became the first struggle for human rights in India.
The Vaikom Satyagraha had a significant impact on Indian society and politics. The Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP), a social reform organization that worked to uplift the lower castes in Kerala began building temples that would allow entry to all people.
Conclusion
The Centenary of the Vaikom Satyagraha was a pivotal moment in the Indian independence movement that brought attention to the injustices of the caste system and the need for social reform.
The Kerala government, in July 2014, announced the establishment of the Vaikom Satyagraha Memorial Museum and Mahatma Gandhi statue at Vaikom.
