Published 17:04 IST, September 30th 2019
When Gandhi was denied entry into a temple over his England visit
Mahatma Gandhi, who waged many a battle for egalitarianism in Hindu shrines, was once denied entry into a temple because he had visited a foreign land.
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Mahatma Gandhi, who wd many a battle for egalitarianism in Hindu shrines and for right of lower-caste devotees to access m, was denied entry into a temple - t because of religion or caste but because he had visited a foreign land. year was 1925, place, Bhagavathy Amman temple in Kanyakumari. Refused permission to enter inner shrine by temple authorities, who cited his visit to England, Gandhi offered worship standing outside, show records.
Gandhi, who was visiting princely state of Travancore (south Kerala) and famed temple during his south India tour, articulated his anguish in an article in Navjivan, a weekly newspaper he published. He said he was allowed to circumnavigate shrine, but was denied permission by man in-charge of temple from proceeding furr.
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"...Even re my happiness was t untainted by sorrow. I was allowed to make a complete circle, but I was t permitted to go to inner shrine because I had been to England," he said in article titled "Darshan of Kanyakumari" (dated March 29, 1925), said.
Crossing seas and going abroad was considered taboo by Hindus during time and those who violated belief were denied entry into temples in Travancore. Such people could enter shrines only after performing special purification rituals.
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An upset Gandhi wrote, "How can this be tolerated? Could Kanyakumari be polluted? Has this practice been followed since ancient times?"
He also hailed beauty and tranquillity of place and mentioned seeing spot where Swami Vivekanannda used to meditate.
article, which began with a positive description of place and its geography, concluded with an appeal that such practices should be removed and a reminder that it was duty of every Hindu to do so.
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"My inner voice cried out that this could t be. Moreover, if it had been, it would be sinful. That which is sinful does t cease to be so or become meritorious through its antiquity. Hence, I was all more convinced that it was duty of every Hindu to make a mighty effort to remove this stigma," it said.
situation soon righted itself. Travancore's visionary king Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma stopped restrictions imposed in name of foreign trips.
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In 1933, eight years after Gandhi was stopped at temple, king went for an extended trip overseas, including England, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Italy, meeting dignitaries such as King George V in London and Pope Pius XI at Vatican.
Four years after that, he invited Gandhi as a special guest at a function in Travancore to mark historic Temple Entry Proclamation, which opened portals of temples in kingdom to so-called lower caste Hindus.
K Ayyappan Pillai, n a young boy and 106 years old today, remembers seeing Mahatma during his Travancore visit in 1937.
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"I am still excited remembering day...Gandhiji came and took part in public function at present university stadium here. Later, he visited temples with downtrodden people," freedom fighter and Gandhian told PTI as country celebrates 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
king's proclamation, issued on vember 12, 1936, covered 1,526 temples mand or controlled by Travancore.
Gandhi visited Kerala, which was n fragmented into princely states of Travancore, Cochin and Malabar, five times -- in 1920, 1925, 1927, 1934 and 1937.
Kanyakumari, located on sourn tip of subcontinent, which is a confluence of three seas, Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean, was part of Travancore kingdom during colonial era.
It was merged with state of Tamil Nadu in 1956.
16:33 IST, September 30th 2019