The reason for the Guru's inclination towards Shiva consecration can be seen as his affinity for Shaivism. Shiva is the one who burns the three celestial cities (Tripura) possessed by demons. Similarly, the Guru also sought to completely burn away the ignorance and superstitions related to caste and religion. Most of the Guru's idol consecrations, including the one at Aruvippuram, were of Shiva, Ganapathi, Subramanya, and other deities belonging to the Shiva family. Twenty-eight of the hymns composed by the Guru are related to Shiva. Following the Shiva consecration, the Guru stated that the devotee will first gain Shiva and then spiritual strength will follow.
Guru considered Shiva as a symbol of self-esteem for the downtrodden. Shaiva thinkers are those who are interested in delving into the logic of history and are beyond the thinking of caste and religion. This is why the Guru, who sought to eliminate contradictions, showed an inclination towards the Shiva consecration. It was driven by a need to uplift a society where alcohol and animal sacrifice were prescribed as modes of worship. The Guru was establishing a model place where humans live with equality. He composed the following verse to convey the kind of worship place he intended Aruvippuam to be.
"Jathi bhedam matha dwesham
ethumillathe sarvarum
sodaratwena vazhunna
mathruka sthanam aanithu"
(This is a model place where everyone lives in fraternity without the discrimination of caste or the hatred of religion).
Guru strove to transform the world into such a model place. Through the Aruvippuram consecration, the Guru resurrected the spiritual strength of a community denied temple entry by the upper castes. The Guru viewed the temple as an institution centered around activities that support the physical and mental purity of individuals, the educational upliftment of society, and unity. That is why the Guru questioned the age-old temple concepts. The Guru wished that a lecture hall, a school, a vocational training center, and a library should all be attached to the temple, which served to reinforce his concepts. In 1917, he advised against encouraging temple construction and advocated building educational institutions instead.
During a conversation with Vagbhatananda, when asked why idols are established, the Guru replied, "It is not for us, is it?" The phase of action in Sree Narayana Guru's life began with the Aruvippuram Consecration. Through this epoch defining event, he became the driving force of the Kerala Renaissance.
