'This is not a Brahmin Shiva’

'This is not a Brahmin Shiva’ - Narayana Guru

In 1888, when Narayana Guru visited Aruvippuram, a village located in the southern district of Thiruvananthapuram, he picked up a rock from the Neyyar River and consecrated it as Lord Shiva. People also started worshipping it with flowers, camphor, and incense sticks. As word spread, a group of agitated Brahmins reached the spot the next day and shouted at Narayana Guru. He replied, “This is not a Brahmin Shiva, but an Ezhava Shiva.” The Brahmins were left stunned and tongue-tied.

Back in the day, only Brahmins were allowed to install idols. Guru was the first non-Brahmin in Kerala to consecrate a Shiva idol. He went on to consecrate many such Shiva idols and temples across Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Then, Guru moved to Sivagiri in Varkala and set up a school for children from lower strata of society. It is also the place where Guru’s samadhi (tomb) is situated. Thousands of devotees visit the pilgrimage centre every year.

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Notes of Nagesh

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