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"Introduction The present chapter endeavours to discuss the life of Nārāyaṇa Guru and his spiritual journey in detail. It also explores a brief history of the 19th century Kerala locating the advent of Nārāyaṇa Guru. Before proceeding to study his contributions it is important to know the history of that society in which he was born. Even though the rich history of Kerala can be traced much before the Christian era, the present investigator does not delve on it here since the present thesis concerns with the latter part of nineteenth century when Nārāyaṇa Guru was born. The present section dealing with the life of the Guru is drawn from at least two important sources namely: The Word of the Guru: Life and Teachings of Narayana Guru by Nataraja Guru and Narayana Guru by Nitya Caitanya Yati. In the same chapter the present researcher also looks at the historical details that are relevant to the study of Nārāyaṇa Guru and his central contribution to the society. 1.1 Kerala - The Historical Background and the Changes in the Nineteenth Century At the time of Nārāyaṇa Guru‟s (1854-1928) birth, the Kerala society like the rest of the subcontinent was a hotbed of casteism. People were deeply entrenched in the varṇa system and therefore could not think of interacting or even seeing a shadow of avarṇa. Hindu society has two divisions in the name of caste - savarṇa and avarṇa. Those who come under the four-fold hierarchical order of Brāhmin, Kṣatriya, Vaiśeya and Śudra are called savarṇas while those who belong to the category of untouchables are categorized as avarṇas. These castes and sub-castes are arranged from the ""highest to the lowest‟2 and from the most superior to the least worthy. Nārāyaṇa Guru himself being an Ezhava belonged to the category of untouchables. The hereditary occupations of Ezhavas are toddy tapping, agriculture and coir yarn making. The Ezhavas are known by different names in different parts of Southern India. In parts of central 2 In the present thesis, the words higher caste and lower castes denote the so-called higher castes (Brāhmins, Kṣatriyas and Vaiśeyas) and the so-called lower castes (the Śudras and the outcastes). The words ""higher‟ and ""lower‟ with respect to caste are used within single quotes (""‟) in the thesis to stress the fact that these words are nothing more than an expression of caste discrimination and have no foundations in reality."

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