History Liberated: The Sree Chithra Saga
By Princess Aswathi Thirunal Gouri Lakshmi Bayi
Published by Konark Publishers
Pages 434; Price ₹2,000
Mahadev Desai, Mahatma Gandhi’s close associate and confidante, once wrote a book called The Epic of Travancore. The kingdom of Travancore in southern India—which was a princely state during the British rule that later became part of the state of Kerala—is known to have promulgated several progressive reforms under the last Maharaja of Travancore, Sree Padmanabha Dasa Sree Chithira Thirunal Rama Varma (1912-1991), more popularly known as Sree Chithira Thirunal. One of the most notable ones was the temple entry proclamation, passed on November 12, 1936. The law facilitated the entry of all Hindus, irrespective of caste, to over 1,500 temples managed by the Travancore state. Sree Chithira Thirunal, hence, became the first Indian ruler to discard untouchability in religious affairs.
This story is from the May 09, 2021 edition of THE WEEK.
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This story is from the May 09, 2021 edition of THE WEEK.
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