Tamil Nadu Timeline

ReligionEast India Company rule

Ayya Vaikundar begins his mission

· Swamithoppe

Ayya Vaikundar begins his mission
Vaikunda Raja, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Ayya Vaikundar began the teachings that gave rise to Ayyavazhi, a movement that challenged caste rules in southern Travancore.

According to Ayyavazhi tradition, Ayya Vaikundar emerged from the sea at Tiruchendur on 1 March 1833 and began his mission. Based at Swamithoppe in present-day Kanyakumari district, he taught against caste discrimination and drew a large following among the lower castes. In 1838 he was arrested by order of the Travancore ruler Swathi Thirunal and imprisoned for about 110 days before his release in 1839. His teachings are recorded in the Akilathirattu Ammanai, and his mission ended with his death in 1851.

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