On the surface, the presence of heads of Saivite mutts from Tamil Nadu at the inauguration of the new Parliament building may offer a likeness to August 14, 1947, when the representative of Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam (mutt) presented a Sengol (sceptre) to Jawaharlal Nehru. But the unprecedented royal reception accorded to the heads of the Saivite mutts clearly indicates that the BJP has a political plan for Tamil Nadu. These non-Brahmin Saivite mutts, unlike the Sankara mutt of Kancheepuram, never maintained a close relationship with political parties. The BJP, or more particularly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has sought to break the mould and win the confidence of the heads of the mutts and their followers.
“India has been ruled by 14 Prime Ministers. None of them did anything worthwhile for the Tamil language. They ruled from a Parliament [building] constructed by the British... Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proved that he is a true patriot and made us proud,” said the head of the Madurai Adheenam. His words reflect the overriding feeling among the heads of mutts, who have always felt sidelined by the politically powerful Sankara mutt in Tamil Nadu. And it has helped in a small way that the BJP, which has not been able to make much headway in Tamil Nadu, where the hold of the two Dravidian parties — AIADMK and DMK — and the fringe elements advocating Dravidian ideology and Tamil nationalism is strong. Except for the Dravidar Kazhagam (DK), parties including the DMK and AIADMK remain silent on the Delhi event, for they fear antagonising Tamil sentiments.
Though not an organised religious sect like the Lingayats in Karnataka, Saivites in Tamil Nadu played a pivotal role in the formation of the anti-Brahmin movement. Leaders such as Maraimalai Adigal worked closely with DK founder Periyar E.V. Ramasamy since the days of the Self-Respect Movement. But differences on the question of religion created a divide between them, particularly after leaders of the movement launched an attack on Periya Puranam, the biography of 63 Saivite saints in verse. The Saivites, however, remained supporters of the Dravidian movement and Dravidian parties.
An oft-asked question is, who is a Saivite? “Who is a Saivite and what is Saivism are difficult to define. Sometimes Saivism denotes a caste or sub-caste; at other times it denotes a religion; at a third it denotes a system of philosophy. It may be the three at the same time. It may indicate a Vellala or not; it may indicate a vegetarian or non-vegetarian,” wrote historian A.R. Venkatachalapathy in his article ‘Dravidian Movement and Saivites: 1927-1944’ in Economic and Political Weekly, recalling what Tamil scholar P. Chidambaram Pillai said.
Vellalas, traditionally agriculturists, are the followers of Saivite mutts. They constitute one of the largest communities though they have many sects such as Nanjil Naatu Vellalas, Tirunelveli Vellalas, Chozhia Vellalals, Veerkudi Vellalas, Thondai Mandala Vellalas, Kongu Vellalas and Karkatha Vellalas. Some use the title ‘Pillai’. The land-holding community once dominated the Tamil literary world. Vellalas can be vegetarian or non-vegetarian. The vegetarian sect represented by the Tirunelveli Vellalas has always considered itself superior.
“While in other parts of India, upward social mobility is represented by Brahminisation, in Tamil Nadu it was represented by Vellalarisation,” wrote Mr. Venkatachalapathy in his book Dravida Iyakkamum Vellalalrum (Dravidian Movement and Vellala).
There have been attempts to bring Vellalas under one umbrella. During elections, a few fringe organisations visit parts of Tamil Nadu where the Vellalas have a substantial presence and campaign for the party they support. The reservation offered for the Economically Weaker Section by the BJP also finds favour with a section of the community which is not covered by the communal reservation policy.
“The BJP has resorted to social engineering in Tamil Nadu after implementing it in U.P. It has started playing the card of ‘minority community among the Hindus’. There is an increase in the number of devotees visiting Saivites mutts. By making the heads of mutts as power centres, the BJP is trying to lure them into its fold,” said writer Srinivasan Natarajan. As a vote bank, Saivites are the ‘swing factor’ in Tamil Nadu politics and the BJP has sought to consolidate them and make them a solid vote bank, he said.
