Leaders of Renaissance in Kerala -Ayya Vaikundar (1809-1851) (Chapter-1)

Leaders of Renaissance in Kerala
-Ayya Vaikundar (1809-1851)
(Chapter-1)
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.

13. They initially named the child Mudisoodum Perumal, meaning “Lord Narayanam with a crown”.

14. 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.

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

16. 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 ).

17. 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.

18. 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.

19. 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.

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