Iyothee Thass facts for kids

C. Iyothee Thass (born May 20, 1845 – died 1914) was an important Indian leader. He fought against unfair social divisions, known as the caste system. He was also a Siddha doctor, which is a traditional Indian medicine system.

Iyothee Thass became a Buddhist. He encouraged people from the Paraiyars community to also become Buddhists. He believed that Buddhism was their community's first religion. In 1891, he started a group called the Panchamar Mahajana Sabha with Rettamalai Srinivasan. The word Panchamas referred to people who were treated as "outcasts" and faced a lot of discrimination.

His name is often spelled "Iyothee Thass." You might also see it as Pandit C. Ayodhya Dasa, C. Iyothee Doss, or Ayothidas Pandithar.

Early Life and Learning

Iyothee Thass was born on May 20, 1845. His birth name was Kathavarayan. He was born in a place called Thousand Lights in Madras (which is now Chennai). Later, his family moved to the Nilgiris district.

He was very smart and learned many things. He knew a lot about the Tamil language, Siddha medicine, and philosophy. He also understood other languages like English, Sanskrit, and Pali. His family followed a religion called Vaishnavism. He named his children Madhavaram, Pattabhiraman, Janaki, Raman, and Rasaram. His grandfather worked for a European officer named George Harrington in Ootacamund (now Ooty). This connection helped young Kathavarayan learn a lot.

Fighting for Equality

In the 1870s, Iyothee Thass brought together different groups, like the Todas and other tribes in the Nilgiri Hills. He helped them become a strong voice. In 1876, he started a group called Advaidananda Sabha. He also launched a magazine called Dravida Pandian with Rev. John Rathinam.

In 1886, Iyothee Thass made a bold statement. He declared that people from the Scheduled Castes (also known as Dalits) were not Hindus. After this, he created the "Dravida Mahajana Sabha" in 1891. During the 1891 census, he asked people from Scheduled Castes to write "Casteless Dravidians" instead of "Hindus." His work inspired other leaders, like Anagarika Dharmapala in Sri Lanka, who also worked to revive Buddhism.

Becoming a Buddhist

Iyothee Thass met Colonel H. S. Olcott, who was interested in Buddhism. Thass told Olcott that he and his followers wanted to become Buddhists. Thass believed that the Paraiyars people of Tamilakam were originally Buddhists. He also thought that their land had been taken from them by invaders.

With Olcott's help, Thass traveled to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). There, he received special Buddhist teachings from a monk named Bikkhu Sumangala Nayake. When he returned, Thass started the Sakya Buddhist Society in Madras. This society also had branches all over South India. The Sakya Buddhist Society was also known as the Indian Buddhist Association. It was founded in 1898.

Activism and Later Life

On June 19, 1907, Iyothee Thass started a weekly Tamil newspaper. It was called Oru Paisa Tamizhan, which means One Paisa Tamilian. Later, it was simply known as The Tamilan. He ran this newspaper until he passed away in 1914. This newspaper was very important for him to speak out against the power of the caste system.

The newspaper published Iyothee Thass's own articles. It also gave a voice to ordinary people, especially those from the Dalit community. They could write articles about religion, law, Tamil literature, money, farming, and there was even a section for ladies. The newspaper was read widely by communities who faced discrimination. It strongly opposed the caste system and refused to use caste names.

Iyothee Thass also fought for the rights of the Parayars to enter Vishnu and Shiva temples. These temples traditionally did not allow Dalit communities inside. He also asked the British government to provide free education up to the fourth grade. He also asked them to give unused land to the oppressed Parayars. He worked with the Madras Mahajana Sabha on these issues, though he was not always successful.

Iyothee Thass passed away in 1914 when he was 69 years old.

His Lasting Impact

Iyothee Thass is known as the first important leader in the Madras Presidency who fought against the caste system. Later leaders like Periyar, the Dravidar Kazhagam movement, and B. R. Ambedkar continued his work. He was also the first notable leader from the Scheduled Castes to become a Buddhist.

For a long time, Iyothee Thass was not widely remembered. But in recent times, his writings have been published by the Dalit Sahitya Academy. This is a publishing house owned by Dalit Ezhilmalai. Ezhilmalai, who was a government minister at the time, wanted to name a new research center after Iyothee Thass. This idea did not happen until 2005. Strong protests by Se. Ku. Tamilarasan of the Republican Party of India (RPI) pushed the government to act.

The institute for Siddha Research, called the National Institute of Siddha, was then named after Iyothee Thass. It was opened by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Anbumani Ramadoss on September 3, 2005. The hospital had 120 beds and treated patients using traditional Siddha medicine.

To honor him, a special postage stamp was released on October 21, 2005. His writings were also made public property, and his family received payment in 2008.

See also

• Dalit Buddhist Movement
• Dalit Ezhilmalai