Manuraj Shunmugasundaram Book Traces Temple Entry Movement and Madras Secularism

A new book titled 'The People’s Sanctum', authored by lawyer and DMK media spokesperson Manuraj Shunmugasundaram, has been published by Vintage, an imprint of Penguin Random House, chronicling the century-long history of the temple entry movement and the evolution of secularism in Madras.

The book traces the social reform struggles that began with the 1924 Vaikom Agitation in the former Kingdom of Travancore, where protests demanded the removal of bans preventing common people from walking the streets surrounding the Mahadeva temple. Shunmugasundaram drew inspiration for the work from the joint meeting of the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala commemorating the centenary of the agitation, an event closely tied to Dravidar Kazhagam founder Periyar E V Ramasamy.

The text highlights the legislative history of the Madras Presidency under the Justice Party, detailing how the party used legal frameworks and the Self-Respect movement to secure equal public access. It examines how early colonial oversight, starting with the Madras Endowments and Escheats Regulation Act of 1817 and the Religious Endowments Act of 1863, was transformed when the Justice Party introduced the Madras Hindu Religious Endowments Bill in 1922 and the subsequent Act of 1925.

According to the author, these legislative interventions brought mutts and the secular administration of temples under government oversight, creating a Madras-led model of intra-religious equality. The book argues that this Madras framework ultimately influenced the Indian Constitution and subsequent national legislation, including the Protection of Civil Rights Act of 1955.

The book also recounts historical deliberations during the agitation, including a meeting at Sivagiri Math between Mahatma Gandhi and SNDP founder Narayana Guru. During the discussion on eradicating untouchability, Narayana Guru expressed scepticism toward non-violent satyagraha, arguing that protests would not serve their purpose until participants scaled barricades to enter temples directly.