A century ago, Alummoottil Govindan Channar, an avarna (lower-caste person), was one of the few car owners in the erstwhile Travancore kingdom and also its biggest taxpayer. However, as an untouchable he was not allowed to drive past temples in his car. He had to get out and walk to the other side where his upper-caste driver would pick him up.Untouchabilitywas so deep-rooted in Travancore and other parts of Kerala those days thatSwami Vivekanandahad once called the state a lunatic asylum.
The 1924satyagrahaagainst untouchability that started in Vaikom, a town 35km from Kochi and known as the Varanasi of the South, is regarded as a milestone inKeralas HISTORY. It eventually paved the way for the Temple Entry Proclamation of 1936 that granted members of thelower castesthe right to worship inHindu temples.