Ayya Vaikundar (1809-1851)

1. Ayya Vaikundar(1809-1851), a great
humanist and social thinker, lived in the
Princely Kingdom of Travancore in the early
decades of the 19 th Century Kerala, is still
remembered as the first well known social
reformer in India who critiqued the caste
discrimination and religious hierarchy and
fought against the practice of untouchability.

2. Being the founder of ‘Samathwa Samajam’,
the first socio reform movement in India
(1836), Ayya Vaikundar is considered as the
pioneer of such revolutionary movements in
India .

3. Ayya Vaikundar not only preached his views
but practicalised among low caste poor
people.

4. Ayya Vaikundar called the rule of the British
as ‘Ven Neechan’ and the rule of king of
Travancore as ‘The Neechan of Ananthapuri’.

5. He is the first to install mirror for worshipping
in South India.

6. He was the exponent of a new path of
spiritual thoughts named ‘Ayya Vazhi’.

7. His exhortation ‘One caste, One religion, One
Clan, One world, One God’’ is world famous.
He was against idol worship .

8. He did not allow the portraitores to draw his
figure.

9. No evidence of any picture or any of his
human figure are kept to prove his visual
identity .So that he still remains as in the
form of absolute wisdom.

10. It has been noticed that if the socio - political
thinkers of modern India could have been
accepted the vision of Ayya Vaikundar much
earlier , the political dimension of modern
India might have attained a value based,
qualitative trend in all walks of life.

11. His theory and practice like ‘samathva
samajam’ , ‘sama panthi bhojan’ , ‘thottu
namam podunkal’ were much enough to
cultivate a thought of equality and unity in
Indian minds.

12. Ayya Vaikundar was born to the couple
Ponnu Madan and Veyilal Amma in at
Poovandanthope in the Kanyakumari District.
32. They initially named the child Mudisoodum
Perumal, meaning “Lord Narayanam with a
crown”.

13. But due to the heavy protest of upper castes
the name had to change as ‘Muthukutty’
because at that time only upper castes were
allowed to use the names of gods as their
names.

14. Ayya Vaikunda Nather stayed at
Swamithoppu and sent his disciples far and
wide to carry his message to the masses.

15. He mainly had five disciples named with
Pancha Pandavas as Mailady Sivathaanu
(Dharma Cheedar), Kailasapuram
Pandaaram ( Bheeman Cheedar),
Pillayarkudiyirippu Arjunan (Arjunan
Cheedar), Kulachal Subbayyan (Nakulan
Cheedar ) , Thamarakkulam Harigopalan
(Sahadevan Cheedar ).

16. He asked his five disciples to preach his
principles and lead a holy life . He gave a
Pathiram (guideline for a systematic life
based on his principles ) to them and insisted
to adhere it strictly.

17. People congregated at Swamithoppu to get
his blessings and called ‘Ayya’. He used the
holy mud - Namam - and the holy watermunthiri
patham to cure the people of their
illness and absolve them from sins.

18. He preached a new prayer which his
followers called as Pothippu. People came
to him with their first produce like banana
bunch, arecanut bunch, paddy, betal leaves
and flowers.

19. Ayya Vaikundar advised his followers to
practice Dharma. ‘Annadhanam’ was
considered as the important form of Dharma.

20. Ayya Vaikundar’s preaching about temple
worship was of great significance. He
discouraged idol worship.

21. Ayya Vaikundar discouraged slaughtering of
animals in the name of sacrifice. He
discouraged keeping Hundis in temples and
also giving Kanikka (offerings).

22. He advised His followers about day-to-day
life. He asked them to be good to their
enemies too.

23. He advised them to be kind and generous to
those who came to them, chanting his name.

24. He asked them to abide by the law of the
land and not to be covetous.

25. Ayya Vaikundar organized ‘Sama Panthi
Bhojana’ in each and every place of worship
in the name of “Annadanam’.

26. In 1836 Ayya Vaikundar organized a massive
movement named ‘Samathva Samajam’. To
propagate his concept of equality and dignity
of all human beings this organization led a
significant role.

27. Watching all the social and revolutionary
reforms led by Ayya Vaikundar, the high caste
Hindus became angry as well as afraid.

28. During the ‘Chariot Festival’ of Sucheendram
temple Ayya Vaikundar captured the chariot
thread (Kampa vadam) along with his
followers and ready to pull the chariot along
with the high caste.

29. He declared that the low castes including him
have the right to pull the temple chariot. This
act provocated the high caste authorities.

30. When the King, Swathi Thirunal, was visiting
a nearby place , they complained to him that
Vaikundar was deceiving the masses in the
name of God.
31. As they had full influence over the King and
the State, they convinced the King to arrest
Vaikundar.

32. The King believed the words of the high caste
chieftains and consequently sent a troop to
arrest Ayya Vaikundar.

33. The troop arrested Ayya Vaikundar from
Swamithoppu. Huge crowd of his followers
opposed the arrest and agitated.

34. But Ayya Vaikundar advised his followers not
to be angry to the troops and to be patient. “
Let them learn who I am. I will be back to
you without any harm “.

35. Then the troop tied him with hemp ropes and
drew by a horse and brought him before the
King who was temporarily residing at
Sucheendrum, a place about 4 miles from
Swamithoppu, during 1838.

36. Ayya was brought before the King.The King
ordered to take Ayya Vaikundar to
Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of
Travancore.

37. After that the troop brutally man-handled
Ayya Vaikundar. The troop was astonished
to see Ayya without any change. So they
gave poisoned milk to him. Ayya drank the
milk with a smile. Nothing happened to him.

38. At Thiruvananhapuram Ayya Vaikundar was
punished with imprisonment for some
months and put in the jail at Singarathoppu
from November 1838.During the
imprisonment days he had to face different
tortures.

39. King later ordered to release Ayya Vaikundar
by signing an agreement forcing him to be
only the leader of the people of his caste
only . But Ayya Vaikundar refused to sign
such an agreement .

40. He said that he has no caste or creed and
was common to every body. He also told
the King that he would leave the jail only
when he desires to do so.

41. This news spread all over
Thiruvananthapuram. People came before
him in large groups with fruits, flowers etc.,
His followers from different parts of south
Tamil nadu reached Singarathoppu jail.

42. On the 19th day of Tamil month Masi (March
3, 1839) Ayya Vaikundar decided to go back
to Swamithoppu.

43. With all glories, his followers carried him
back to Swamithoppu overnight and reached
there on 20th day of Masi. This day is very
auspicious to all his devotees and now every
year this day is celebrated as Masi
procession.

44. Nowadays this procession starts from
Thiruchendur and Thiruvananthapuram. It
ends with grand functions and is currently a
declared public holiday for the districts in
South Tamil nadu.

45. During that period , Nanchi nadu was the
storehouse of the paddy in Travancore.
These paddy fields were taxed heavily. At
the same time the land cultivators had to
pay two types of taxes. One for land and
other for trees. The majority of the land
owners were high caste people. Even then
Ayya Vaikundar entered in this issue. He told
that the tax can be given to land only and
organized hundreds of farmers of Nanchi
nadu and proceeded to
Thiruvananthapuarm. Addressing the
farmers agitation at Thiruvananthapuram ,
Ayya Vaikundar asked the King to stop treetax
which was an additional one. He also
pointed out that only if the farmer toil in the
mud , the King can eat in the golden plate.
This event may be the first agitation of
farmers against a Kingdom in the history of
India.

46. This part of the 19 th century witnessed
cruelty against women . They were not
allowed to cover their breasts and below the
knee in Travancore.

47. If any woman brought married from
Thirunelveli ,they were also bounded to obey
this rule.The high caste men used to tore
the blouses (rowkka) of the ladies who cover
their breast.

48. An young Nadar lady came to market by
wearing a blouse at the place called
Kottaram near Kanya kumari.

49. The high caste chieftains tore her blouse and
captured her wedding chain with thaali. From
this incident onwards , this market is known
as Thaali Aruthaan Chanthai.

50. The men of Nadar community protested
against this. The agitation spread over to
different places. Several social workers
intervened in this issue. The London
Missionary Rev.Charles Mead went to the
Court against this anti-human activity.

51. Straight fights between low caste and high
caste men became common. The Govt.
authorities stood on the side of high caste
men.

52. They were not ready to consider the Court
Verdict.So the Nadar men finally decided to
break the hands of those who tear the blouses
of their ladies. Strong fights went on.

53. Observing this severity of the agitation, the
Govt. decided to permit Nadar women to wear
the blouse.

54. But they were not permitted to put a shawl
over the blouse. Ayya Vaikundar strongly
opposed this and lead the agitation which was
known as Mel Mundu Samaram.

55. As he foretold earlier Ayya Vaikundar attained
Nirvaana on a Monday mid-noon 2nd of June
1851.

56. After the period of Ayya, many of his
prophecies came to reality. Thousands of
people became his followers.

57. His spiritual thoughts turned into a new way
of life – Ayya Vazhi.The people who criticized
him while he was alive, had recognized his
way of thought-that is Ayya Vazhi