A casteist custom that has been in practice for centuries at the Pilicode Sree Rayaramangalam Bhagavathi temple in Kerala's Kasaragod district came to an end on Sunday, April 13, when 16 persons belonging to lowered caste communities, which were earlier denied entry to the sanctum sanctorum, got in and offered prayers to the deity.
The temple at Pilicode was originally considered the ‘family temple’ of Palat tharavadu, which belongs to the dominant caste Nair community. Historically, only people belonging to Savarna communities like Brahmin, Nair, and Kartha were allowed to enter the temple.
Five decades ago, certain lowered caste communities were also given access to the premises, but not the inner quadrangle, called the naalambalam.
Currently, the temple is under the administration of the Malabar Devaswom Board.
Ninav Purusha Swayamsahaya Sangham, a self-help group, was the first to pass a resolution demanding that restrictions on members of the lowered castes entering the temple be lifted. The resolution was sent to Kerala’s Devaswom Minister VN Vasavan and the temple’s executive officer.
Soon, a Janakiya Samithi (people's forum) was formed to take forward the call for reform. The Samithi included members of different socio-cultural and political groups.
The tantri (head priest) of the temple was also asked his opinion on the matter. He reportedly took a ‘neutral’ stand, neither calling for restrictions nor agreeing to the temple entry demand.
According to KV Rajesh, who was part of the 16-member group, it was late T Subrahmanian Thirumupam, a poet and Communist leader born into a Brahmin family, who first gathered people to protest against the practice more than 50 years ago. As a result, the temple premises were opened for people belonging to Thiyya, Maniyani, Vaniya, and Vishwakarma (all belonging to Other Backward Classes) and to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Even then, the doors to the naalambalam, the sacred inner quadrangle of the temple, remained closed for the Avarna castes. It took another half century, on the day before Kerala’s new year festival Vishu in 2025, for people of all castes to be allowed entry to the sanctum sanctorum.
It was after a recent renovation of the temple that the demand for entry for all castes gained momentum. “The temple was renovated using the money given by people belonging to different castes. If everyone's money can be used to renovate the temple, devotees belonging to all sections should be let in too,” he said.
Rajesh added that even though most Pilicode residents are in support of the abolition of the casteist practice, the move has upset some. He said, “Each of the 16 devotees who entered the naalambalam hold respectable positions in society. Yet, even now, there are a few who do not support equal rights for all castes in entering the temple. They say that customs and tradition should be given more importance.”
The Janakiya Samithi stated that there will no longer be any restrictions based on caste in the temple and that people from lowered castes will continue to enter the naalambalam. However, no women were present in the 16-member group that entered the temple.
It is worth noting that the state celebrated the centenary year of Vaikom Satyagraha, a non-violent movement fighting for access for Dalits and other lowered castes to the roads around the Vaikom temple in the former Travancore kingdom, in 2024. The state also prides itself over the Travancore temple entry proclamation, which happened 89 years ago, while ironically caste-based restrictions continue in several temples. Recently, a lowered caste man had resigned from a Devaswom Board appointed post in the Koodalmanikyam temple in the state after he faced opposition from dominant castes.