Sivagiri row: what is the outrage about? | Explained

Kerala CM criticizes attempts to appropriate Sree Narayana Guru into Sanatana Dharma, sparking political reactions and debates.

The story so far: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan used the inaugural event of the 92nd Sivagiri pilgrimage at Varkala on December 31, 2024, to slam what he saw as attempts to appropriate social reformer Sree Narayana Guru into the Sanatana Dharma fold. The CM also seconded Sivagiri Madhom president Swamy Sachithananda’s opinion that the regressive practice of making men remove their shirts before entering temples should be abandoned.

Mr. Vijayan sought to equate Sanatana Dharma to the principles of Varnashrama Dharma which forms the bedrock of caste divisions in society. In his opinion, the attempt to portray Sree Narayana Guru as a champion of Sanatana Dharma ran counter to the renaissance leader’s humanist message and his work to eradicate casteist oppression. He said that Sanatana Dharma, which commands the patronage of the powers that be, has resulted in the continuing oppression of Dalits, backward classes and minorities in rural areas of north India. The Bharatiya Janata Party was quick to react with former Union Minister V. Muraleedharan accusing the CM of insulting Sanatana Dharma in a manner similar to Tamil Nadu Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President K.Sudhakaran in a way echoed the CM’s words when he spoke at Sivagiri. He said that attempts to tie down the Guru to Varnashrama Dharma have to be resisted. However, Opposition Leader V.D.Satheesan struck a discordant note, objecting to the CM’s equating of Sanatana Dharma to Varnashrama Dharma. He accused the CM of attempting to give the patent of Sanatana Dharma, which is the collective tradition of all Indians, to the Sangh Parivar.

Sree Narayana Guru, who founded the Sivagiri Madhom over a century ago, is regarded as one of the foremost social reformers of Kerala, who played a key role in transforming a society steeped in casteism and untouchability into a progressive one with at least some levels of equality. In 1888, decades before temple entry movements and proclamations which allowed the oppressed castes entry into temples, Narayana Guru consecrated a Siva idol by the Aruvippuram river, in an effort to allow all castes to worship. When the consecration by a non-Brahmin led to opposition from various quarters, he explained that the idol was that of “Ezhava Siva, not a Brahmin Siva”, referring to the Ezhavas, an oppressed caste. Despite this statement which was meant as a counter to specific circumstances, Sree Narayana Guru propounded the wider and inclusive ‘One Caste, One God, One Religion for mankind’ philosophy. He established the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP Yogam) in 1903 for the educational and social upliftment of oppressed castes. A decade later, he would disassociate from the SNDP Yogam, disappointed that the organisation was being reduced for the representation of just the Ezhavas. Sivagiri, established by the Guru, is now a major pilgrimage centre for Ezhavas.

The Ezhava community, classified as an Other Backward Caste constituting 23% of Kerala’s population, are considered as traditional voters of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led LDF, with part of the votes going to the UDF. However, with the BJP’s ascendancy in 2014, the Sangh Parivar has been making overtures to the community, and by extension to Sivagiri, as part of its larger strategy to make inroads into Kerala, which has remained electorally almost impenetrable to the BJP until recently. This has led to the Left as well as the Congress launching a counter-strategy to what they see as attempts to appropriate Narayana Guru and the Ezhava community into the larger Hindutva fold.

After the recent Lok Sabha elections, in which the LDF suffered a major defeat and the BJP made gains in left strongholds, the CPI(M) attributed the rightward drift in the backward-class Ezhava votes to the BJP as one of the major factors in its defeat. SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan stated that the Ezhava community had abandoned the LDF in the Lok Sabha elections in protest against the appeasement of minorities.

The Sivagiri Madhom has always tried to maintain a considered, equidistant stance from all parties. At the annual Sivagiri pilgrimage, leaders of parties from across the political spectrum are accorded an opportunity to address the pilgrims. In recent years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have addressed the pilgrims. Even as the SNDP Yogam hailed the consecration of the Ram temple, Swamy Sachithananda decided to stay away from the Ayodhya consecration ceremony. The Madhom leadership has used its influence to raise its voice against the “Brahmanical dominance” in priesthood in major temples, criticising the limiting of the post of priests in major temples to the Brahmin community. Aware of the political heft of the community, the Madhom has held its cards close to its chest. This stand is not expected to change anytime soon.