Vaikunda Swamigal was born in 1808 A.D. at Swamithoppu near Kanyakumari. He was born in a
Nadar family. His father was Ponnumadan and mother was Veyilal. As staunch devotees of Vishnu, they named the child as Mudi Sudum Perumal. As this denoted a ruler, the high caste Hindus objected to it and brought it to the notice of the government. The government issued an order immediately to
change the name of the boy in accordance with the caste rules. In compliance with this, his name was changed as Muthukutti. He studied the puranas, and literatures with the help of the learned men of his village. He was a great Vishnu Bhakta. He strongly criticized the prevailing Hindu social order and the activties of the Namboodiries. He criticised the mismanagement and misuse of temple money. He requested the people to give up the evil practices associated with their worship. His preaching against the prevailing religious order brought out considerable change in the attitude of the low caste people
Nadar family. His father was Ponnumadan and mother was Veyilal. As staunch devotees of Vishnu, they named the child as Mudi Sudum Perumal. As this denoted a ruler, the high caste Hindus objected to it and brought it to the notice of the government. The government issued an order immediately to
change the name of the boy in accordance with the caste rules. In compliance with this, his name was changed as Muthukutti. He studied the puranas, and literatures with the help of the learned men of his village. He was a great Vishnu Bhakta. He strongly criticized the prevailing Hindu social order and the activties of the Namboodiries. He criticised the mismanagement and misuse of temple money. He requested the people to give up the evil practices associated with their worship. His preaching against the prevailing religious order brought out considerable change in the attitude of the low caste people
He was attacked by the caste Hindus and the Muslims. In 1833 A.D., Swamigal started meditation at Poovandarthoppu. For the first two years, he meditated in a six feet hallow pit called Yoga Dapa. He welcomed all the lower caste people. As a result, thou-sands of lower caste people came from all over south and neighbouring places. They worshipped him as the real incarnation of Lord Narayana and called him as Vaikunda Swamigal. He founded in 1836 an organisation called Samatva Samajam"in order to fight for the redressal of the grievances of the Avarnas as well as
against the shortcomings and lapses in the state administration. The Samatva Samajam seems to be
earliest social organisation in Kerala and Vaikunta Swamigal a pioneer among social revolutionaries. He was arrested in 1837 during the reign of Swati Tirunal and lodged in the Singarathoppu jail in Trivandrurm Ayyaguru who was the jailor at the time accepted Vaikunta Swamigal as his Guru
In his preaching he emphasized charity, truth, love and self respect among the people. Vaikundar vehe
mently attacked Swathi Tirunal, the Raja of Travancore for his negligence to introduce welfare of the poor low caste people. He called Travancore king as Ananthapur Neechan and cursed Brahmins as Karine (Black cheater), condemned British people as Venneechan (White cheater). The work of Vaikunta Swami in the cause of social equality was one of the primary causes behind the "Breast-Cloth Agitation"
His idea of the reign of Dharma Yuga made him great humanist. He directed his people to abandon all their religious ceremonies in connection with temple . He criticized the meaningless rituals, elaborate fites and expensive ceremonies
He attacked and condemned all other modes of idol worship and animal sacrifice, criticized and condemned the institution of Devadasi. , Vaikundar attempted to free the people from the dlutches of the demon god's influence of the evil spirits. He was of the opinion that the working dlass should be given reasonable payment for their labour. He condemned the oppressive and obnoxious taxation. He asked the Raja of Travancore to abolish all the obnoxious feudal levies like the oozhiyam and viruthi
Vaikunda Swamigal assumed the status of Ayya(Father) to all his followers. His followers are generally called Ayya Vazhi Makkal.
