Prathyaksha Raksha Daiva Sabha
Prathyaksha Raksha Daiva Sabha is a religious protest movement founded in 1909 by Poykayil Sreekumara Gurudevan in Kerala, India.
The PRDS has its head office located at Eraviperoor, Pathanamthitta. The PRDS rejected both Christianity and Hinduism, and preached that God would send an incarnation to liberate the slaves.
Now PRDS has hundreds of Shakas and thousands of devotees across Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
PRDS also runs schools and collegesHistory
, on seeing discrimination prevailing against the Depressed class in the Christian Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church, left Marthoma Church and started the new organization - PRDS. He himself was renamed as Poykayil Sree Kumara Devan.
He even made efforts to convince his Hindu and Christian Brothers to become members of PRDS. He convinced many fellow Dalits to leave what he regarded as superstitious beliefs, and to stop practicing "black magic" and sacrificing animals. He taught the members of his faith to observe cleanliness and lead a life of high moral standard. He evolved a common prayer in the name of the incarnate God. His followers prayed in separate prayer halls.
Poikayil Yohannaan bought approximately 125 acres of land in different parts of Travancore for the use of PRDS. There was 7.5 acres of land at Eraviperoor. 5.5 acres at Madappally, Changanacherry and 13.5 at Neyyattinkara in Trivandrum district.
