Social Synonym
In the nineteenth century Travancore society, the social setup is highly marked for the discriminative hierarchical caste order and the inhumanties unfold from this, such as untouchability, unseeability and unapproachability accordingly some people were shunned from the public approach and sight. This caste based social reality is transformed into a religious institution. The then political faculties duly safegaurded this order. Even in temple the priests while handing over the Prasatam (a ritual object) to devotees after worship, they approach freely with the higher castes, whose nearness and touch would not pollute them, and use to throw the Prasatam on to a platform from where the lower caste devotee (whose touch may pollute him) has to collect this.
In such a social conscience, the alternative form of ritual marking 'Tottu Namam' generated. The very name 'Tottu Namam' says the meaning, 'a mark with a personal touch'. In Ayyavazhi universe primarily, Ayya Vaikundar seems to have personally touched the forehead of followers and worn it for them.
This dimension of personal touch stood out to the public eye and was much appreciated by the then society. It presented itself to be a symbolic site wherein new and alternative modes of social relations were proposed, forged and legiminated. It recast the priest-devotee relationship to bear upon the social reality of the time.
The alternative relationship and close contact brought up by this ritual practice meant a reversal of the hierarchical social relationship and discrimination based on purity and pollution. In other words, with the under-lying ritual ambience, this 'Tottu Namam' acted fast against the caste based and other inequalities prevalent in the then Travancore Kingdom and Tamil society.
Under sociology, the then 'social discriminative force' is termed as the evil spirit of Kali. And this Kali is said to be get destroyed by the ritual practise of wearing 'Thiru Namam'. The break-point of social hierarchy is channeled in a religious way.
Read more about this topic: Thirunamam
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