Indians viewed idols as a harmonious blend of an unworldly experience and divine presence. Idol worship is the manifest form of devotion. The temple consecrations Guru performed in Kerala and neighbouring states can mainly be divided into two phases. While the first phase involved the consecration of stone idols of male and female deities, the next phase involved symbolic consecrations. The first phase began with the Aruvippuram Consecration in 1888. The second phase began with the Sharada Consecration in 1912. The construction of the Advaita Ashram in 1916 marks the third phase. Guru's temple consecrations gave new forms and perspectives to the very concept of a temple.
With the Guru’s presence, Aruvippuram, abundantly blessed with natural beauty, slowly transformed into a haven for devotees. This led the Guru to realise the necessity for a place of worship. He understood that freedom of worship was necessary to attain liberation from mental servitude. While major temples, as part of the caste system, excluded the majority of people, the Guru attempted to provide a new dimension to the very concept of God. The Guru's main objective was to find a solution to the spiritual servitude of the marginalized communities. The effort he subsequently made was to achieve this based on a foundation of spirituality.
At midnight of the holy day of Shivaratri in 1888, Guru took a dip in the Neyyar river and resurfaced with piece of stone shaped like a Shivalinga. After deep meditation, he installed the stone in the makeshift temple at Aruvippuram at 3 am. His disciple, Kumaran Asan, has later described that the first anointment of the linga was done with tears.
The Guru was conscious of the revolutionary nature of the act he performed. He proved that Brahminism could be attained through ‘karma’(action). However, the Shiva consecration, gave rise to many controversies. The Guru was able to contain them to a great extent through the support of logic. To the privileged community who questioned his act, the Guru replied, "We consecrated our Shiva”. The words "We" and "Our" in the Guru's reply signify the declaration of equality and love.
