Udhayanidhi Stalin’s comments on eradicating Sanatana Dharma have created a nationwide stir. At a September 2 event held in Chennai, Udhayanidhi said that Sanatana Dharma is like a disease that should not merely be opposed, but eradicated. But in Tamil Nadu, the views he expressed are not new. For over a century, Dravidian politics has voiced its opposition to Sanatana Dharma, calling it a Vedic tradition that upholds the Varna system and propagates caste supremacy. In south India, it does not signify Hindu culture as a whole, but is considered synonymous with Brahminism.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) that Udhayanidhi is part of has a history of opposing Brahminical hegemony and Sanatana Dharma. The Justice Party, to which the DMK traces its roots, was formed in 1916 in the Madras Presidency by around 30 non-Brahmin leaders. Periyar, who is considered to be the ideologue of the Dravidian parties, was elected as the head of the Justice Party in 1938. He also founded the Self-Respect movement in 1952 which rejected caste, religion, Hindi imposition, and regressive gender norms. The Justice Party ensured that their anti-caste rhetoric materialised into something tangible by introducing caste-based reservations in 1921 in the Madras Presidency. This was done to reduce the domination of Brahmins in government jobs.
But much before the Justice Party, the tradition of opposing Sanatana Dharma, which is identified with Brahmanism and codifying caste based duties for Hindus, has been mocked. In fact, the opposition to Sanatana Dharma in south India is more than 2000 years old, said writer Jeyamohan. As an example, he pointed to literature from the era, such as the classical Tamil poetic work Purananuru that is as old or older than Jesus Christ. The collection of 400 heroic poems mocks the rigid Sanatana Dharma.
Jeyamohan, in an interview to journalist Ullekh NP, points out that Sanatana Dharma represents the hegemony of Brahminism in the south and so, an attack on Sanatana Dharma is not an attack on the whole of Hinduism. According to him, while Hindu Dharma and Sanatana Dharma are understood as two separate phenomena in south India, the north Indian traditions teach that Sanatana Dharma is Hindu Dharma itself. The Vedic tradition and Brahmanical hegemony that Sanatana Dharma signifies in south India has received opposition not only from the Tamil Shaivites but also from the nastika, Jain, and Buddhist traditions that dominated the south for centuries, as well as the Bhakti movement that later took root.
While people in the Hindi-speaking belt may equate Sanatana Dharma with Hinduism, politicians and anti-caste groups in Tamil Nadu have always opposed the rigidity in Hinduism and been against Sanatana Dharma and Manusmriti. The distinction according to them is clear — being opposed to Vedic traditions is not a rejection of the Vedas. It is an opposition to orthodoxy and discrimination, including the Sanatana Dharma and the Varna system.
Political opposition to Sanatana Dharma
In addition to having a heterogeneous culture shaped by Jain, Buddhist, and Bhakti influences, Tamil Nadu has also been greatly influenced by Periyar’s politics and his vocal opposition to Hinduism and its texts like the Vedas and Upanishads. In 1953, Periyar broke the idols of the Hindu god Ganesha, and in 1956, he burned the pictures of the Hindu god Ram. Many of his speeches questioned Hindu beliefs, the supremacy of Brahmins, caste and gender discrimination perpetrated by religion, and ridiculed the fallacies in mythologies like the Ramayana and Mahabharata.
The leaders of the DMK, which was formed in 1949 by CN Annadurai after a split from the Justice Party, carried forward Periyar's ideology to a large extent. Like Periyar, M Karunanidhi, who took charge of the party after Annadurai’s death, was also well known for his fiery speeches opposing the caste system perpetuated by Hinduism and its gatekeeping of education to members from lowered castes.
Ever since the DMK came into power, there have been multiple attempts to allow Dalits into temples that had barred them. One DMK leader pointed out that they respect all religions which is why the movement was organised.
While speaking on the need to eradicate Sanatana Dharma, Udhayanidhi had explained the Sanskrit origin of the term, and said that it refers to something eternal that cannot be changed or questioned. Historians and scholars have provided multiple explanations for Sanatana Dharma, along with cultural and historical context. Julius Lipner in his 1994 book Hindus: Religious Beliefs and Practices wrote that several Hindus call themselves ‘Sanatanis’ or followers of ‘eternal dharma’ but there is ambiguity in what eternal dharma is. Julius, who is a Professor of Hinduism and the Comparative Study of Religion at the University of Cambridge, was quoted in an Indian Express report as saying that it was only after the 19th century that Sanatana Dharma became a way to refer to Hinduism to “evoke a certain homogeneity.”
Historian John Zavos said that a homogeneous idea like Sanatana Dharma emerged as a reaction to the reforms in Hinduism during the 19th century by organisations like the Arya Samaj. In his 2001 paper “Defending Hindu Tradition: Sanatana Dharma as a Symbol of Orthodoxy in Colonial India”, John wrote, “[Sanatana Dharma] is used to denote a particular form (with the implication of being the truest form) of Hinduism ... [It] is presented as an orthodoxy in relation to Hinduism as a whole.”
The opposition to Sanatana Dharma has been on for long among social reformers too. On December 25, 1927 Dr Ambedkar burned the Manusmriti during the Mahad satyagraha while fighting for the rights of the lowered castes to gain access to public water. While addressing the crowd before burning the book he said, “Let’s destroy the authority of ancient Hindu scriptures that are borne in inequality. Religion and slavery are not compatible.”
In Kerala, Sahodaran Ayyappan, a social reformer, poet, and rationalist, who was inspired by the ideals of Sree Narayana Guru, wrote the Malayalam poem “Parivarthanam” (1934), which blamed social ills on the Hindu religion, also known as Sanatana Dharma and Varnashrama Dharma.
Revival of opposition to Sanatana Dharma in Tamil Nadu
It was at the Sanatana Ozhippu Maanaadu (Sanatana Abolition Conference) in Chennai that Udhayanidhi made his now controversial remark. Aadhavan Deetchanya, the general secretary of Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers and Artists Association, which organised the conference, said that Sanatana Dharma has been opposed not only in Tamil Nadu but also in other parts of the country.
Speaking to TNM, he said, “We hosted a conference, but several people have been marking their opposition individually. Burning the Manusmriti is a way of expressing opposition to Sanatana Dharma and that has been done by Dr Ambedkar and JS Kannappar (part of the Self-Respect movement). Even recently, VCK (Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi) held a conference opposing Sanatana Dharma. The targeting of Udhayanidhi was with the aim of targeting the DMK.”
In 2019, the VCK organised a conference titled ‘Desam Kappom Maanaadu’ (Save the Nation Conference) in Trichy. The conference was attended by key opposition parties like the DMK, Communist Party of India (CPI), Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC), Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), and members of the Dravida Kazhagam.
At the conference, VCK’s chief and MP Thirumavalavan lashed out at the ruling BJP government for letting Sanatana Dharma grow. He said, “Sanatana Dharma did not appear today, Gautama Buddha was one of the first to rebel against this ideology. Sanatana Dharma is denying someone freedom, equality, and fraternity. The government is working to re-establish Sanatana Dharma in the country again. If the BJP comes to power again, nobody can save the country anymore. Leaders like Periyar and Dr Ambedkar worked hard to defeat and destroy Sanatana Dharma. We cannot let such an ideology become prominent again.”
Several resolutions were also passed in the conference including one asking for the right-wing group Sanatan Sanstha to be banned. Members of Sanatan Sanstha have been accused of bomb blasts, murdering rationalists Govind Pansare and Narendra Dabholkar, and journalist Gauri Lankesh.
‘BJP trying to establish Sanatana Dharma’
Even though similar speeches have been made several times in the past, Udhayanidhi’s remarks created a stir because of the timing of his speech and his political position, VCK MP Vanniyarasu told TNM. “The 2024 general elections are approaching and there is an attempt to create confusion among the INDIA alliance. Even though our leader [Thirumavalavan] had spoken against Sanatana Dharma in 2019, at that time he did not have the recognition that Udhayanidhi does at the national level now. The BJP and the RSS have been trying to establish Sanatana Dharma, but the opposition to this ideology has been present since the time of Buddha,” he said.
The opposition to Sanatana Dharma has often been used by opposition parties like the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu to declare that the DMK is an anti-Hindu party. In an earlier interview with TNM, DMK leader A Raja had countered the criticism that DMK is a anti-Hindu party. He said, “We are not against religion, we are against a religion that teaches caste bias. That’s why we sometimes criticise religion. We have no problem with religion as a social force.”
Raja further said, "Painting DMK as enemies of Hinduism is a fake propaganda done on purpose. It’s been 100 years since the Dravidian movement started. Why did the Dravidian movement start? For the oppressed people to study. We are fighting for reservation for the oppressed, who are Hindus. We wanted a Mandal Commission for those in Backward communities, who are also Hindus. We fought for reservation and changed the Constitution for Hindus. We fought for social justice for the Hindus who make up to 90% of the population here.”
Vanniyarasu said that the fight against Sanatana Dharma will not end anytime soon. “This controversy has only given the VCK and the DMK more reason to fight more strongly against it. Our parties’ goal is to ensure that Sanatana Dharma is eradicated not only from Tamil Nadu, but from all over the country,” he added.