Narayana Guru - 1856-1928

Aruvipuram Temple

Learning from the sacred books and the practice of Yoga did not give peace of mind to Nanu Asan. He continued his wanderings in quest of Truth. By and by, he came to a beautiful place called Aruvipuram. It was a forest area. There were hills around. A gurgling rivulet also flowed there. As more people sought him out for healing or advice, he and his disciples felt the need for a regular temple for worshipping Shiva. At a beautiful spot near the river, he had his followers build a small canopy of coconut leaves and mango leaves over an altar on a rock jutting out in the water. The year was 1888. "They improvised lamps with shells and arranged them in rows. They were lighted at dusk and a piper began to play devotional tunes. The whole place was soon filled with pious village folk." Sri Narayana, who had been sitting apart and meditating all night, stood at midnight and walked into the river. As thousands watched silently ("If silence had music, the atmosphere was filled with it," wrote one correspondent) he descended into the river and then reemerged, holding an idol of Shiva. He stood beneath the canopy with it in his arms for three hours, totally lost in meditation, tears flowing down his cheeks. Finally, at three in the morning, he installed the idol on the pedestal.
His action was the Keralite equivalent of overturning the tables of the money changers, or refusing to give up a seat on the bus. From the beginning of time, so far as anyone knew, only Brahmins had ever installed an idol. "Yet when Swami performed the sacred rite it appeared so natural for him to pick up a small rock and install it." When Brahmin authorities arrived to question him about his action, he gave an answer that still makes Keralites laugh. "I have installed only the Ezhava Shiva," he said, a mockery of caste that undermined its rotten superstructure more than his actual deed.