Introduction Christianity in south India was founded by one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ. However, the expansion of Christianity into different streams emerged due to the efforts of Christian missionary endeavors from Portugal, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and England. Christian missionaries played a vital role in the process of social evolution. They used education and medical care as the means of developing contact with people. The missionaries in Tamil nadu in particular worked in the field of education, medicine and in the uplift of the society. Looking at Indian society, the dominant religions played their role of absorption, assimilation and hegemonisation. More often these religions have been associated with the question of social identity and exercise of power of a given people. The intervention of modernity through the mediation of colonialism and Christian missionary enterprises, in particular that of protestant Christianity has helped in reconstructing the social identity of subaltern people and has substantially contributed to the emergence of emanicipatory ideation and praxis among the subaltern people in the district of Kanyakumari which is evident in their resurgence during the nineteenth century. Historical context Understanding the historical context provides the right key to the sociological understanding of the emergence and operation of religiosity of subaltern people. The southernmost region was then called the state of thiruvitankur or Travancore, ruled by the heirs of King Martanda varma, which was replaced by the British during 19th century. The society at that time was rigidly organized on the basis of the discriminatory hierarchical caste system where varnacirmatarmam was practiced ruthlessly. Casteism is the steel frame of the Hindu society and religion became the handmaid of vice and folly. In the traditional Indian society, caste provided the framework for all human activities. The institution of caste is an exclusive characteristic of the Indian society. There was a hierarchical stratification in the basic structure of the society. The caste system on its working divided the community into a multitude of groups which professed mutual hatred and hostility, each caste being considered inferior to those above it and superior to those below it. The untouchables constituted the base and the Brahmins the apex of the social pyramid. Under this caste system, Brahmins were at the social apex followed by Nayas and Vellalars. These Nayars and Vellalars owned supervised and cultivated most of the lands. In other words, the Nanjil Nadu Vellalars in the east and Nairs in the west became the vanguard of the caste system who held a supreme status in the society over the non-caste groups (avarnas) including Christians, muslims and non-caste hindus like Nadars or shanars, ezhavas, mukkuvas, pulayas and parayas. While the Brahmins placed their claims of superiority on a religious basis, the Nairs, the fierce and oppressive caste, asserted their claims of predominance on a political