Ninety years after Travancore opened its temples to all Hindus, Thiruvananthapuram schoolchildren carry the proclamation door to door

Students of Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Karamana, in Thiruvananthapuram marked the 90th anniversary of the Temple Entry Proclamation on Saturday by distributing copies of the 1936 order to homes and public places, The Hindu reported. The proclamation was issued by Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, then ruler of the princely State of Travancore, on 12 November 1936.

It opened the State's Hindu temples to marginalised communities that had been barred from entering them, and drew the attention of the whole country to Travancore. A copy held by the Archives department was received by the school's students and teachers.

They distributed copies to houses, residents' associations, shops, commercial establishments and libraries for display, and autorickshaw drivers passed it on to their passengers. A nonagenarian couple living near the school, retired income tax official Gopalakrishnan and his wife Sarojam, were honoured with a copy of the proclamation and a ponnāḍa by Class V student Shikha and ward councillor Karamana Ajith.

Head teacher Mini Y. said the proclamation still teaches lessons at a time when marginalisation is re-emerging. Principal Bilu V.B. attended the event.

Parent-teacher association representatives said the anniversary will be marked with year-long celebrations. Plans include a proclamation rally from East Fort to the Śrī Padmanābhasvāmī temple, cultural meets with historians, visits to memorials of reform leaders and a quiz.