WikiDwarf at 14:20, 1 May 2021

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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2019}}

[[Ezhava]] is a [[caste]] in [[Kerala]]. [[Shiva]] is a [[Hindu god]]. Siva idol was consecrated by social reformer [[Sree Narayana Guru]] at [[Aruvippuram]], in 1888. Ezhava Siva refers not to Siva as God but to the tongue-in-cheek reply given by Sree Narayana Guru when questioned by a group of Brahmins about the legitimacy of a non [[Brahmin]] consecrating a temple. This was a major break from tradition as installation of idols by non Brahmins was considered blasphemy and [[Sree Narayana Guru]] belonged to the lower caste [[Ezhava]] community. The sarcasm was meant to highlight the immorality of Brahmins who denied social spaces and the right to worship from the lower castes.

Sree Narayana Guru, well learned in the Hindu scriptures, always considered God as a power without limits and boundaries but who bestows benevolence on all, irrespective of caste. This is evident in the Universal Prayer in Malayalam, Daivadasakam (10 Verses To God) he had written for the masses. After the Aruvippuram Temple Consecration, he wrote in Malayalam:

{{Quote|text=Jaathibhedam Mathadwesham <br/>
Eathumillathey Sarvarum <br/>
Sodarathwena Vaazhunna <br/>
Mathrukasthanamanithu <br/>("this is the model abode where everyone will live in brotherhood , without animosity due to differences of caste and religion")<ref name="newindianexpress.com">{{cite web|url=http://newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/article167942.ece?service=print |accessdate=November 6, 2013 |title=Sree Narayana Guru in a new light |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113133024/http://newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/article167942.ece?service=print |archivedate=November 13, 2013 }}</ref>
|sign=|source=}}

== Consecration==
Until the early 20th century, [[Ezhavas]] and other lower castes were not allowed inside [[Hindu]] temples. During Sree Narayana Guru's wandering life he came upon [[Aruvippuram]] in 1888. He decided to build a place of worship open to all castes. He picked up a stone from near by [[Neyyar_(river)|Neyyar river]] and used it as an idol for the proposed temple and consecrated it.<ref name="newindianexpress.com" /><ref name="newindianexpress.com1">{{cite web|url=http://newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/125-years-of-Aruvipuram-Pratishta/2013/08/22/article1745244.ece|title=125 years of Aruvipuram Pratishta|newspaper=[[The New Indian Express]]}}</ref>

This act challenged Brahmin hegemony. When Brahmin priests questioned his right to do so, he replied famously that what he installed was an "Ezhava Siva".<ref name="newindianexpress.com" /><ref name="newindianexpress.com1" /> He further asked whether the universal power belonged to any caste. He set up other temples at Aluva, Vypin, Cherai and Moothakunnam.

==Legacy==
Narayana Guru's actions are widely acknowledged to have paved way for later movements by lower castes for temple entry, including the ‘[[Vaikom Satyagraha]]’. 125th Anniversary of Aruvippuram installation was celebrated in 2013.<ref name="newindianexpress.com"/><ref name="newindianexpress.com1"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Thiruvananthapuram/125-years-of-aruvippuram-temple/article4234257.ece|title=125 years of Aruvippuram temple|author=Staff Reporter|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==See also==
* [[Narayana Guru]]

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{{Narayana Guru}}

[[Category:Shiva temples in Kerala]]

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Ezhava Siva - Revision history

WikiDwarf at 14:20, 1 May 2021