Chempazhanthy

Chempazhanthy is a small village located 12 km away from Thiruvananthapuram. It is the birthplace of the great saint and social reformer Sree Narayana Guru. The hut with three small rooms where Sree Narayana Guru was born and the surroundings are still kept intact without making many changes.

Young Narayana lovingly called Naanu was born in 1854 to Madan Ashan and Kuttiyama as the only son of the Vayalvaram family. His three siblings were girls and from the childhood itself, he grew up with a clear idea of the discrimination and evil customs like caste system, strongly prevalent at that time. He belonged to the Ezhava caste, which is a mediate class between the upper caste and low caste untouchables. That made it easier for him to understand the differences between the social classes. The untouchables or lower caste were not supposed to enter the temple those days. Even from childhood he was distressed by such practices.

Sree Narayana Guru's journey in search of truth and wisdom started from here. He left his house and wandered all through the state. In due course of time, Guru did a lot to change such man made laws and foolish ethics. Guru made temples for the untouchables and made them understand the importance of education, cleanliness and good behaviour. In 1904, he settled at Varkkala, a place near Thiruvananthapuram, to start his ashram which is now known as Sivagiri Mutt, one among the renowned pilgrimage centres of India.