The temple entry movement encompasses a series of struggles initiated in the 1920s and 1930s to win the right to use the paths adjoining the temple and to enter the temple, and is credited with bringing legal and constitutional changes (Shankar IAS, “Vaikom Satyagraha”; Indian Kanoon, “Article 25(2)”). This document examines the Vaikom Satyagraha, Ambedkar’s Satyagraha at the Kalaram Temple, the Travancore Temple Entry Proclamation of 1936, and the present position of the Constitution and the Courts. This document provides dates from the sources and notes places where accounts vary. Our document on who the Dalits are explains the term, and our Dr. Ambedkar biography page explains his life.
Vaikom Satyagraha (1924-1925)
The Satyagraha was a non-violent struggle for the right to use the public roads leading to the Vaikom Temple in the Kingdom of Travancore which was launched in March 1924 and ended in November 1925 (Wikipedia, “Vaikom Satyagraha”). The struggle was initiated by leaders in Kerala like T.K. Madhavan, K.P. Kesava Menon, and George Joseph with the guidance of Mahatma Gandhi (Shankar IAS). The first to raise the temple entry issue was Ezhava leader T. K. Madhavan in 1917 through a write up (Rau’s IAS, “Remembering the Vaikom Satyagraha”). Other prominent leaders like V. T. Bhattathiripad and P. K. Karunakaran also actively participated (Wikipedia). E.V. Ramasamy Periyar and S. V. Rajagopalan Ayyangar (Wikipedia) also took part in the movement. (Wikipedia)
Meanwhile, the public roads adjoining the Vaikom Temple were opened in the year 1937 (Wikipedia, “Travancore”).
An upper-caste Hindu group called the Savarna Jatha, supporting the temple reform, marched from Vaikom to Trivandrum (capital), in November 1924, with a petition bearing the signatures of 25,000-plus people (Wikipedia, “Changanassery Parameswaran Pillai”; Shankar IAS). In 1925, the government of Travancore allowed access to three of the four streets surrounding the temple (Shankar IAS). The government allowed access to the temple to the lower castes only in 1936 with the Temple Entry Proclamation (Wikipedia). Our post on Gandhi vs. Ambedkar describes their views on caste, as well as how they differed on other matters.
Kalaram Temple Satyagraha, 1930
Ambedkar organized a large demonstration on March 2, 1930, in front of the Kalaram Temple in Nashik (Wikipedia, “Kalaram Temple”), to gain entry into the temple. B.K. (Dadasaheb) Gaikwad led the protest (Velivada, “2nd March (1930) in Dalit History”). Some reports say 15,000 Dalits participated (Ambedkarite Today; IAS Site) while other reports say on that day, which was Ram Navami, Ambedkar led a procession of 200 volunteers (Republic World), so numbers vary with the source.
A government official in what was then Bombay imposed Section 144 around the temple. A number of protesters were arrested and attacked by upper-caste Hindus (IAS site, Republic World). The protests, or satyagraha, lasted for several years, and it is said that the temple doors remained closed to Dalits for three years (Republic World, IAS site). In January 1933, a temple entry bill proposed in the Madras Legislative Council was rejected (IAS site). After this experience, Ambedkar refused to participate in any other temple entry movement (IAS site). One source says he once stated that the Depressed Classes should channel their energy into the political and educational fields (BRAmbedkar.in). Kindly see the log, as one source states that the gates were later opened and others do not. Our article on the 1927 Mahad protest covers an earlier event, and our article on Navayana Buddhism covers his later period.
Travancore Temple Entry Proclamation, 1936
The Temple Entry Proclamation was issued by the Maharaja of Travancore, Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, on November 12, 1936. It removed all barriers to the entry of Hindus of all castes to the Temple of Travancore (PW, “Temple Entry Movement”). It was issued nearly a decade after the successful completion of the Vaikom Satyagraha (Rau’s IAS). The Temple Entry Proclamation showed how barriers could be broken down by collective efforts of people (PW). Subsequent to this, Madras also enacted similar measures (StudyIQ, “Temple Entry Movement”).
Dalit temple entry and the law
India’s Constitution abolished untouchability with Article 17, as our guide to what Article 17 says explains. Article 25(2)(b) permits the State to enact laws for social welfare and reform or “the throwing open of Hindu religious institutions of a public character to all classes and sections of Hindus” (Constitution of India, Article 25(2), Indian Kanoon). Legal commentary to this effect is that it gives the right to all classes of Hindus to worship in a public temple (Freedom of Religion under the Indian Constitution, Chapter IV). The same provision states that the reference to Hindus includes Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists (Constitution of India, Article 25, Explanation II). Our guide to the Prevention of Atrocities Act covers the law on caste based offences.
Who can serve as a temple priest?
The case Adi Saiva Sivachariyargal Nala Sangam v. Government of Tamil Nadu (December 16, 2015) is about the 2006 order of the Tamil Nadu government that stipulates any Hindu with the right qualification and training can be appointed as an archaka (temple priest) (Supreme Court of India, as reported by Indian Kanoon). The two-judge bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi and N.V. Ramana held that archakas can be appointed as per the Agamas, the scriptures of the temple, but the Agamas would have to pass the test of Article 14 and not be in contravention of the constitutional mandate (Indian Law Live, summarizing the case). The service of a priest being a secular function of a temple, and the priest being employed for religious service being itself a protected service, were also cited (Indian Law Live). I have not researched latest priest appointments in Tamil Nadu and other States and, therefore, this report does not deal with such appointments.
What this guide does not cover
This guide looks at the historical and legal framework. It does not provide data regarding Dalits’ access to temples, something our article on untouchability covers with survey data. This guide does not cover private temples, diaspora temples (BAPS is covered in our lawsuit post) or Dalit-run temples. (For communities documenting their own history, skills in blogging and email marketing, in particular, have become essential. The Ambedkar Educational Program was created to teach these skills.)
Takeaway
The temple entry movement ran from the Vaikom Satyagraha (1924-25), which allowed Dalits access to roads surrounding temples, to the Kalaram Temple Satyagraha (1930) where the temple’s doors remained shut, to the Travancore Proclamation of 1936, which opened state temples to all Hindus. Untouchability is banned under Article 17 of the Constitution and laws can be enacted to ensure that Hindu temples are opened to all classes. In 2015, the Supreme Court ruled that in accordance to the Constitution, priests could be appointed under Agamas. There are differing accounts of the end of the Kalaram Temple dispute.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the temple entry movement?
A series of campaigns in the 1920s and 1930s for the right of oppressed castes to use the roads around Hindu temples and to enter them, beginning with the Vaikom Satyagraha in 1924.
What was the Vaikom Satyagraha?
A non-violent agitation from March 30, 1924, to November 23, 1925, for access to the public roads around the Vaikom Temple in Travancore, led by T.K. Madhavan and others and supported by Gandhi and Periyar.
What was the Kalaram Temple Satyagraha?
A protest led by Ambedkar from March 2, 1930, to allow Dalits into the Kalaram Temple in Nashik. Accounts say the temple doors stayed closed, and Ambedkar later did not join other temple entry movements.
What was the Travancore Temple Entry Proclamation?
An order of November 12, 1936 by the Maharaja of Travancore that opened the state’s temples to all Hindus, regardless of caste.
Does the Constitution protect Dalit temple entry?
Article 17 abolishes untouchability, and Article 25(2)(b) allows laws throwing open Hindu religious institutions of a public character to all classes and sections of Hindus.
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SOURCES
- Wikipedia, “Vaikom Satyagraha”
- Wikipedia, “T. K. Madhavan”
- Wikipedia, “Changanassery Parameswaran Pillai”
- Shankar IAS, “Vaikom Satyagraha”
- Rau’s IAS, “Remembering the Vaikom Satyagraha”
- Wikipedia, “Kalaram Temple”
- Velivada, “2nd March (1930) in Dalit History”
- IAS Site, “Kalaram Temple Entry Movement”
- Republic World, “Why PM Modi’s Visit to Kalaram Temple Where Ambedkar Launched His Satyagraha for Dalits Is Historic”
- Ambedkarite Today, “Kalaram Temple entry movement by Dr. Ambedkar For Equal Rights”
- BRAmbedkar.in, “Kalaram Temple Entry Satyagraha at Nashik”
- PW (Physics Wallah), “Temple Entry Movement”
- StudyIQ, “Temple Entry Movement”
- Indian Kanoon, “Article 25(2) in Constitution of India”
- Constitution of India (constitutionofindia.net), “Article 25”
- Indian Kanoon, Adi Saiva Sivachariyargal Nala Sangam v. Government of Tamil Nadu, Supreme Court of India, December 16, 2015
- Indian Law Live, “Secularism and Art. 25 and 26 of the Indian Constitution”
- Bharati Vidyapeeth (BBAU), “The Freedom of Religion under the Indian Constitution,” Chapter IV
