The People’s Sanctum

The 100-Year Struggle to Democratize Temples in India

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One hundred years ago, a powerful movement was taking root in southern India, and through its radical trajectory, building the future for true Indian equality. In the princely state of Travancore in what is today southern Kerala, a protest to challenge a ban that prevented the people of oppressed castes from using the roads around Vaikom Mahadeva temple had mobilised thousands. Gaining momentum from leaders such as TK Madhavan, Periyar EV Ramasamy and Mahatma Gandhi, the dramatic yet sustained protests ultimately led to several roads being opened to all castes.

The gains from Vaikom in part inspired the birth of the Self-Respect Movement, an indigenous socio-political movement that attacked caste hierarchy within temples. As the movement marks a hundred years, Manuraj Shunmugasundaram explains how an agitation for equal access to roads has led to, among other reforms, state legislation enabling the appointment of priests from all castes. Unpacking Babasaheb B.R. Ambedkar’s brilliant drafting of social reform into the Constitution, the author argues that intra-religious equality is Indian secularism.

Combined with the analysis on the role of constitutional courts in resolving disputes between temple entry and religious freedoms, The People’s Sanctum traces the important and impactful changes to the socio-religious fabric of the country over the last century.