Decks cleared for T.N. govt’s Periyar memorial in Kerala’s Alappuzha; foundation stone to be laid on September 26

Clearing the final hurdle, the Tamil Nadu government is set to build a memorial at Arookutty in Alappuzha, Kerala, for social reformer Periyar E.V. Ramasamy, one of the prominent leaders of the Vaikom Satyagraha. The foundation stone will be laid jointly by Kerala Minister for Culture Saji Cherian and Tamil Nadu Minister for Public Works E.V. Velu on September 26, 2025.

The Tamil Nadu government has set aside ₹4 crore for the construction of the memorial. “The work has already been tendered. We expect the memorial to be completed in six months,” a Tamil Nadu government official told The Hindu.

Last year, the Kerala government completed procedures and transferred ownership of 54 cents of revenue ‘poramboke’ land to the Tamil Nadu government. The land was handed over without collecting land tax.

Periyar spent a month in the Arookutty jail, which was then part of the princely state of Travancore, after his arrest on May 21, 1924, during the Vaikom Satyagraha (March 1924-November 1925), a major social reform movement. The remnants of the jail still exist on the site where the memorial is proposed.

In 2023, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced the initiative to establish a memorial for Periyar at Arookutty. The memorial will be constructed on the model of a prison. Officials said the design would incorporate a prison facade to honour Periyar’s contribution to the satyagraha.

The Vaikom Satyagraha was a historic movement against the rigid caste restrictions tied to the Vaikom Sree Mahadeva temple. Several prominent political and social leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi, had a role in the satyagraha. The protest was initially led by T.K. Madhavan, K.P. Kesava Menon, and George Joseph, among others.

Crucial leadership

Periyar arrived in Vaikom on April 13, 1924 after several leaders of the movement were jailed, and he provided crucial leadership to the agitation.

Following his release from the Arookutty jail in June 1924, Periyar was rearrested in July for continuing to participate in the struggle and sentenced to four months of rigorous imprisonment, which he served in Thiruvananthapuram Central Jail.

The satyagraha eventually paved the way for the Temple Entry Proclamation of 1936.