How Periyar Came to Vaikom and Breathed New Life into Satyagraha

On Dec 12, Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin is set to inaugurate the memorial-cum-library at Vaikom named after Periyar. Established in 1985 by Tamil Nadu on land donated by Kerala, it was recently renovated at 8 crore to commemorate 100 years of the Vaikom satyagraha (1924-2024).
Periyar is referred to as ‘Vaikom Veerar' ('Warrior of Vaikom') since his arrival in the area infused "new life into the movement," says T K Ravindran, the first historian in Kerala to document the non-violent protest that took place in the princely state of Travancore between March 30, 1924, and Nov 23, 1925, to oppose caste-based discrimination in accessing pathways near Sree Mahadeva Temple.
On December 26, 1924, the 39th All-India session of the Indian National Congress was held at Belgaum in Karnataka. Reportedly the only session chaired by Mahatma Gandhi, a landmark resolution was passed against untouchability, with the Vaikom satyagraha as its focal point. Archival records suggest the resolution was proposed by Gandhi.
In his 646-page tome ‘Vaikom Porattam' — the only day-to-day documentation of the struggle in any Indian language, recently translated into Malayalam from Tamil — author and former radio broadcaster Pazha Athiaman writes, "With the passing of the resolution, news about the Vaikom struggle spread widely across the country."
By the ninth month of the movement, the struggle gained momentum, yet Gandhi was particular about making the agitation a local one, confining it to Travancore, writes Ravindran in his book ‘Eight Furlongs of Freedom'. Gandhi sought to localise the movement and restrict external support, allowing assistance only from Hindus in Malabar, which was then part of Madras Presidency, stating, "Hindu reformers will estrange the entire Hindu sympathy if they accept or encourage non-Hindu interference or assistance beyond sympathy."
When Periyar E V Ramasamy first arrived in Vaikom on April 13, 1924, his initial act was to raise awareness about social justice and equality through his fiery speeches. The Travancore govt imposed a ban on his public speeches within 15 days of his arrival, but despite that, Periyar's efforts bore fruit as the Tamil Nadu Congress donated 1,000 to support the protests.
Periyar spent 141 days participating in the Vaikom satyagraha between 1924 and 1925, including 74 in prison — the longest sentence served by any leader in the movement. He was jailed twice, first at Arookutty Jail and later at Thiruvananthapuram central prison. He was also the only leader chained by prison authorities, as documented by K P Kesava Menon, a journalist and leader of the movement. Recognising his contributions, Thiru V Kalyanasundaram, a Tamil Nadu Congress leader, gave him the title ‘Vaikom Veerar' in an article in his magazine ‘Navasakthi' on October 17, 1924.
When the Vaikom protests finally succeeded in 1925, with the govt assuring the opening of all roads to the public, the anti-untouchability committee organised a celebration presided over by Periyar. While Periyar's goal was temple entry, he saw the right to access the temple roads as the first step towards entry to shrines.
Contrary to popular belief that Periyar joined the satyagraha of his own volition, history reveals the satyagraha per se was not aimed at gaining access to the Vaikom temple roads. The struggle was part of a six-decade-long discourse on the right to access roads in Kerala. In 1865, the Travancore kingdom allowed the use of public roads irrespective of caste or religion. However, in the 1880s, the high court of Travancore made an amendment to divide public roads into royal and village roads, the former restricted to oppressed castes.
Caste oppression was so pervasive that village roads denied entry. In 1893, social reformer Ayyankali defied these restrictions by leading a bullock cart procession along one such road. "His struggle for the right to freedom of movement marked the inception of a battle for civil liberties, which gained momentum and became increasingly apparent three decades later, demonstrating its escalating strength at Vaikom," reads ‘Vaikom Satyagraha: Dawn of a New Era', a publication by the Kerala govt.
After Ayyankali's protest, though there were discussions about freedom of movement in journalist circles, nothing concrete happened until September 1921, when T K Madhavan, a journalist and intellectual from the Ezhava community, met Mahatma Gandhi in Tirunelveli. During their conversation, Gandhi reiterated that temple entry and civil liberties were fundamental rights that should be universally granted.
Madhavan, along with other intellectuals and journalists such as Kesava Menon and K M Panicker, brought the issue of untouchability to the fore at the All-India Congress Conference in Kakinada on December 23, 1923. On January 20, 1924, Congress leaders in Kerala formed an anti-untouchability committee with Independence activists such as K Kelappan, Madhavan, Kuroor Neelakantan Namboodiripad, T R Krishnaswami Ayyar, and K V Velayudham Menon. With the aim of eradicating untouchability, the committee planned a public rally during Vishu, the state's new year festival. At a meeting on February 29, it was announced that the movement would start with a procession around the Vaikom temple on March 1.
News spread, and state authorities tried to stop the procession, fearing it would provoke the dominant castes. The leaders remained resolute, and the authorities were forced to request that the procession be postponed to March 30. After a month-long campaign and with Gandhi's blessing, the satyagraha officially kicked off. The movement incensed the dominant castes, and there were several arrests, including of top leaders, to suppress it.
Against this backdrop, leaders such as Namboodiripad, George Joseph, and Krishnaswami Ayyar wrote to Periyar through letters and telegrams, requesting him to lead the protests. Periyar arrived at Vaikom on April 13.