Kerala and Tamil Nadu’s Chief Ministers jointly inaugurated the centenary year celebrations of the anti-caste struggle Vaikom Satyagraha on April 1.
Lower castes like the Ezhavas and Pulayas were considered polluting and various rules were in place to distance them from upper castes.
These included a prohibition, not just on temple entry, but even on walking on the roads surrounding temples.
On March 30, 1924, in the temple town of Vaikom in the princely state of Travancore, a non-violent agitation started.
It is marking the beginning of “temple entry movements” across the country.
Sree Narayana Guru, Chattambiswamy, TK Madhavan and Ayyankali were the prominent personalities of the struggle.
In November 1936, almost a decade after the conclusion of the Satyagraha, the historic Temple Entry Proclamation was signed by the Maharaja of Travancore.