NARAYANA GURU AND FORMATION OF POLITICAL SOCIETY IN KERALA: A contemporary critique

Abstract

This chapter examines the salient features of the revolt by the lower castes in Kerala in the 19th century. It was led by Narayana Guru (1854-1928), a spiritual leader who urged people to discard the rules of pollution imposed by Brahmins in the practice of philosophy in daily life. In the wake of this movement, a strong assertion of solidarity and equality was led by the Ezhava community, a caste which suffered pollution in Hinduism. The defining characteristic of this community today is that of a class, the OBC. In the existing lacunae of non-governmental categories to define the nature of this community, and the philosophy of Advaita remaining an impediment rather than empowerment to expand the central notions of his thought, the chapter argues that the transition from caste to community represented by Narayana Guru can no longer be situated in either the discourse of Sanskritization or that of Subalternity, but in the use of Technologies of Deification (Wakankar 2010). © 2022 selection and editorial matter, Simhadri Somanaboina and Akhileshwari Ramagoud.