Question

What issue arose with the Shanar women? How was the issue resolved?

Answer 1

(i) Shanar men and women were expected to follow local custom of never coveting their upper bodies before the upper caste. But In the 1820s, under the influence of Christian missions, Shanar women converts began to wear tailored blouses and clothes to cover themselves like the upper castes. The upper castes tried to create a lot of troubles for the Shanar women, but they did not give up their way of dressing themselves.
(ii) Finally, the Government of Travancore issued a proclamation permitting the Shanar women, whether Christian or Hindu, to cover their upper bodies in any manner they wished but not like the high caste women.