A. Vaidyanatha Iyer
Encyclopedia
A. Vaidyanatha Iyer also known as Madurai Vaidyanatha Iyer was an Indian activist, politician and freedom-fighter who spearheaded the temple entry movement in Madras Presidency in 1939.
. He also participated in the Vedaranyam Salt Satyagraha (1930) and the Quit India Movement
of 1942.
in 1939 by which restrictions prohibiting Shanars and Dalits from entering Hindu temples was removed. During this time, Vaidyanatha Iyer was the President of the Tamil Nadu Harijan Seva Sangh. On July 8, 1939, Vaidyanatha Iyer entered the Meenakshi temple at Madurai in the company of L. N. Gopalasamy and six of his Dalit friends, P. Kakkan
, Muruganandam, Chinniah, Purnalingam and Muthu. This was stringently opposed by upper-caste Hindu leaders and those seeking to preserve Varnashrama Dharma
.
Early life
Vaidynatha iyer was born in Thanjavur in then Madras Presidency in 1890. His Parents are Arunachalam Iyer and Lakshmi Ammal in a Tamil Brahmin family. He entered the Indian independence movement in 1922 when he participated in the Non-Cooperation MovementNon-cooperation movement
The non-cooperation movement was a significant phase of the Indian struggle for freedom from British rule which lasted for years. This movement, which lasted from September 1920 to February 1922 and was led by Mohandas Gandhi, and supported by the Indian National Congress. It aimed to resist...
. He also participated in the Vedaranyam Salt Satyagraha (1930) and the Quit India Movement
Quit India Movement
The Quit India Movement , or the August Movement was a civil disobedience movement launched in India in August 1942 in response to Mohandas Gandhi's call for immediate independence. Gandhi hoped to bring the British government to the negotiating table...
of 1942.
Temple Entry Movement
The Temple Entry Authorization and Indemnity Act was passed by the government of C. RajagopalachariC. Rajagopalachari
Chakravarti Rajagopalachari , informally called Rajaji or C.R., was an Indian lawyer, independence activist, politician, writer and statesman. Rajagopalachari was the last Governor-General of India...
in 1939 by which restrictions prohibiting Shanars and Dalits from entering Hindu temples was removed. During this time, Vaidyanatha Iyer was the President of the Tamil Nadu Harijan Seva Sangh. On July 8, 1939, Vaidyanatha Iyer entered the Meenakshi temple at Madurai in the company of L. N. Gopalasamy and six of his Dalit friends, P. Kakkan
P. Kakkan
P. Kakkan was a Dalit leader, freedom fighter and Indian politician who served as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India, Member of Parliament, President of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee and in various ministerial posts in Congress Governments in the erstwhile Madras state between...
, Muruganandam, Chinniah, Purnalingam and Muthu. This was stringently opposed by upper-caste Hindu leaders and those seeking to preserve Varnashrama Dharma
Varnashrama dharma
Varna refers to the categorization of the Hindu society by four castes, hypothesized by the Brahmins and their sacred texts.This quadruple division is not to be confused with Jāti or even the much finer division of the contemporary caste system in India....
.