The question of Joseph Ratzinger’s involvement with Nazi Germany and the Hitler Youth is important: there is reason to think that Ratzinger has been less than fully candid about his past.
During much of the Nazi era, Joseph Ratzinger lived with his family in Traunstein, Germany, a small and staunchly Catholic town between Munich and Salzburg. During World War I there was a prisoner-of-war camp located here where, ironically, Adolf Hitler worked between December 1918 and March 1919. The town is located near the region of Austria which Hitler came from.
Resistance to the Nazis was dangerous and difficult, but not impossible. Elizabeth Lohner, a Traunstein resident whose brother-in-law was sent to Dachau as a conscientious objector, has been quoted as saying, “It was possible to resist, and those people set an example for others. The Ratzingers were young and had made a different choice.”
A few hundred yards away from the Ratzingers' house, a family hid Hans Braxenthaler, a local resistance fighter who shot himself rather than be captured again. The SS regularly searched local homes for resistance members, so the Ratzingers couldn’t have not known about resistance efforts.
Traunstein also saw more than its share of local violence. In his biography of Joseph Ratzinger, John L. Allen, Jr. says that anti-Semitic violence, displacement, deportation, death, and even resistance turned the town into “an over-populated lunatic asylum of hopeless inhabitants.”
It’s curious that one of the lessons which Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, draws from the experiences of German Catholics under the Nazis is that Catholics should become even more obedient to their ecclesiastical leaders rather than more free to adopt independent courses of action. Ratzinger believes that greater fidelity to Catholic doctrine, as defined by the Vatican, is necessary to counter movements like Nazism.
Background
Neither Ratzinger nor any member of his immediate family joined the NSDAP (Nazi Party). Ratzinger’s father was critical of the Nazi government, and as a result the family had to move four times before he was ten years old.
None of this is remarkable, however, because the same happened with other German Catholic families. Although many German Catholic leaders were willing to work with the Nazis, many individual Catholics and Catholic priests resisted as best they could, refusing to cooperate with a political regime they regarded as anti-Catholic at best and the embodiment of evil at worst.
Joseph Ratzinger joined the Hitler Youth in 1941 when, according to him and his supporters, it became compulsory for all German boys. Millions of Germans were in a position similar to that of Joseph Ratzinger and his family, so why spend so much time focusing on him? Because he is no longer merely Joseph Ratzinger, or even a Catholic Cardinal — he is now Pope Benedict XVI. None of the other Germans who joined the Hitler Youth, were part of the military in Nazi Germany, lived near a concentration camp, and watched Jews being rounded up for death camps has ever become pope.
The pope is supposed to be the successor of Peter, leader of the Christian Church, and symbol of unity for all Christendom. The past actions — or inactions — of such a person matter a great deal if anyone is going to treat him as any sort of moral authority. Ratzinger’s recollections of his youth in Nazi Germany makes it seem as though all the problems, violence, and hatred existed outside his local community. There is no recognition that resistance to the Nazis existed — or was needed — just outside his door.
Hitler Jugend: Joseph Ratzinger has explained that his membership in the Hitler Youth was mandatory — it wasn’t his personal choice to join and he certainly didn’t join out of any personal conviction that the Nazis were right. Despite being a member, he refused to attend any meetings.
Attendance would have reduced the cost of his schooling at the seminary, yet this did not deter him.
Resistance: According to Joseph Ratzinger, it was “impossible” to resist the Nazis. Being so young, it wasn’t plausible for him to do anything against the Nazis and the atrocities they were committing. Nevertheless, the Ratzinger family did object to the Nazis and as a consequence were forced to move four times. It’s not as though they passively and quietly accepted what is going on, as many other families did.
Military: Joseph Ratzinger was a member of an anti-aircraft unit protecting a BMW factory that used slave labor from the Dachau concentration camp to make aircraft engines, but he was drafted into the military and didn’t have any choice in the matter. In fact, Ratzinger also says that he never fired a shot and never participated in any combat. Later he was transferred to a unit in Hungary where he set up tank traps and watched as Jews were rounded up for transport to death camps. Eventually he deserted and became a prisoner of war.
Criticism of Joseph Ratzinger
Hitler Jugend: Joseph Ratzinger’s claims about the Hitler Youth are not true. Compulsory membership was first defined in 1936 and reinforced in 1939, not in 1941 as he says. Ratzinger also says that he was “still too young” at the time, but he was 14 in 1941 and not too young at all: between the ages of 10 and 14, membership in the Deutsche Jungvolk (a group for younger children) was mandatory. Yet there is no mention of Raztinger belonging. If he had managed to avoid the required membership in the Deutsche Jungvolk, why did he suddenly join the Hitler Youth in 1941?
Resistance: Both Joseph Ratzinger and his brother, Georg, have said that “resistance was impossible” at the time and, therefore, it’s not surprising or morally culpable that they also “went along.” This is also not true. First, it’s insulting to the many who risked their lives to resist the Nazi regime, both in organized cells and on an individual basis. Second, there are many examples of those who refused service in the Hitler Youth for a variety of reasons.
Whatever the Ratzinger family did and whatever Joseph Ratzinger’s father did, it wasn’t enough to be arrested or sent to a concentration camp. It doesn’t even appear to have been enough to warrant being detained and questioned by the Gestapo.
Military: Although it is true that Ratzinger deserted the military rather than continue fighting, he didn’t do so until April 1945, when the end of the war was quite close.
Resolution
There is absolutely no reason to think that Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, is now or has ever been secretly a Nazi. Nothing he has ever said or done even remotely suggests the slightest sympathy with any of the basic Nazi ideas or goals. Any claim that he is a Nazi is implausible at best. However, that is not the end of the story.
While Ratzinger was not a Nazi in the past and Benedict XVI is not a Nazi now, there is more than enough reason to question his handling of his past. It appears that he hasn’t been honest with others — and probably not honest with himself — about what he did and what he could have done.
It’s simply not true that resistance was impossible at the time. Difficult, yes; dangerous, yes. But not impossible. John Paul II participated in anti-Nazi theater performances in Poland, yet there is no evidence of Joseph Ratzinger even doing this much.
Ratzinger may have done more than many others to resist, but he also did far less that some. It’s certainly understandable that he wouldn’t have had the courage to do more and, were he any average person, that would be the end of the story. But he isn’t an average person, is he? He’s the pope, a person who is supposed to be the successor of Peter, head of the Christian Church, and symbol of unity for all Christendom.
You don’t have to be morally perfect to hold such a position, but it’s not unreasonable to expect such a person to have come to terms with their moral failings, even the moral failings that occurred in youth when we don’t usually expect a great deal. It was an understandable mistake or failing not to do more against the Nazis, but still a failing that he hasn’t come to terms with — it sounds rather like he is in denial. In a sense, he has yet to repent; yet he was still considered the best of all the candidates for the papacy.
This post is made by a Nasrani Catholic,one who believes in one Holy apostolic church and is in no way to malign the Pope whom we adhere to. But if something like this comes out from his mouth
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-926822,prtpage-1.cms
The comments went unnoticed until Sathya-deepam, the official mouthpiece of the Syro-Malabar church, picked it
up. Writing in it, George Nedungat, a member of the Oriental Pontifical Institute of Rome, conveyed the community's anguish and claimed that previous Popes had recognised St Thomas' work in south India.
So the facts I put forward is crystal clear to all.
The things happening in the west especially in the Anglo Saxon world
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Identity
is nothing short of glory before GOD the living one among us.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Nasrani Culture
The Nasranis are an ethnic people and in that sense a single community. However the Nasranis have various denominations as a result of Portuguese persecution. As an ethnic community they refer to themselves as Nasranis referring to the common cultural heritage and cultural tradition. However as a religious group they refer to themselves as the Mar Thoma Christianis or in English as Saint Thomas Christians referring to the various and diverse religious denominations between them in terms of their religious tradition, despite a common ancestry of being the descendants of the early Mar Thoma church or Saint Thomas tradition of Christianity.
Throughout Kerala, one can find Christian families that claim their descent from Jewish ancestors who were baptized by Apostle Thomas. St. Thomas Christians were classified into the caste system according to their professions, in accordance with the Hindu tradition, with special privileges for trade granted by the benevolent Hindu kings. People in Hindu kingdoms, regardless of religion, were expected to strictly abide by stringent rules pertaining to caste and religion. This is why St. Thomas Christians had such a strong sense of caste and tradition, being the oldest order of Christianity in India.
The archdeacon was the head of the Church, and Palliyogams (Parish Councils) were in charge of temporal affairs. They had a liturgy-centered life with days of fasting and abstinence. Their devotion to the Mar Thoma Cross was absolute. Their churches were modeled after Jewish synagogues.
In short, the St. Thomas Christians of Kerala had blended well the ecclesiastical world of the East Syriac Church with the socio-cultural environment of their homeland. Thus, the East Syriac Church was South Indian in culture, Christian in religion, and Judeo-Syro-Oriental in worship
The early Christians have, indeed, made significant contributions to the culture of Kerala. The Portuguese missionaries introduced printing in Kerala besides opening several theological seminaries for the education of the clergy. Chavittunatakam is a Portuguese-Christian art-form. The Protestant missionaries from Germany and England laid the foundations of western education in Kerala by opening English grammar schools, high schools, and colleges. Some of the early Christian missionaries had performed valuable services for the development of the Malayalam language; the grammatical works and dictionaries by Arnos Patiri (Johann Ernestus Hanxleden), Angelo Francis, Rev. Bailey, Rev. Richard Collins, and Dr. Gundert are substantial contributions to the study of Malayalam.
Throughout Kerala, one can find Christian families that claim their descent from Jewish ancestors who were baptized by Apostle Thomas. St. Thomas Christians were classified into the caste system according to their professions, in accordance with the Hindu tradition, with special privileges for trade granted by the benevolent Hindu kings. People in Hindu kingdoms, regardless of religion, were expected to strictly abide by stringent rules pertaining to caste and religion. This is why St. Thomas Christians had such a strong sense of caste and tradition, being the oldest order of Christianity in India.
The archdeacon was the head of the Church, and Palliyogams (Parish Councils) were in charge of temporal affairs. They had a liturgy-centered life with days of fasting and abstinence. Their devotion to the Mar Thoma Cross was absolute. Their churches were modeled after Jewish synagogues.
In short, the St. Thomas Christians of Kerala had blended well the ecclesiastical world of the East Syriac Church with the socio-cultural environment of their homeland. Thus, the East Syriac Church was South Indian in culture, Christian in religion, and Judeo-Syro-Oriental in worship
The early Christians have, indeed, made significant contributions to the culture of Kerala. The Portuguese missionaries introduced printing in Kerala besides opening several theological seminaries for the education of the clergy. Chavittunatakam is a Portuguese-Christian art-form. The Protestant missionaries from Germany and England laid the foundations of western education in Kerala by opening English grammar schools, high schools, and colleges. Some of the early Christian missionaries had performed valuable services for the development of the Malayalam language; the grammatical works and dictionaries by Arnos Patiri (Johann Ernestus Hanxleden), Angelo Francis, Rev. Bailey, Rev. Richard Collins, and Dr. Gundert are substantial contributions to the study of Malayalam.
Syrian Malabar Nasrani - Nasrani tradition today
A Wisdom Archive on Syrian Malabar Nasrani - Nasrani tradition today
Syrian Malabar Nasrani - Nasrani tradition today
A selection of articles related to Syrian Malabar Nasrani - Nasrani tradition today
More material related to Syrian Malabar Nasrani can be found here:
Main Page
for
Syrian Malabar Nasrani
http://www.experiencefestival.com/syrian_malabar_nasrani
Index of Articles
related to
Syrian Malabar Nasrani
http://www.experiencefestival.com/syrian_malabar_nasrani/articleindex
Index of Articles
related to
Syrian Malabar Nasrani - ...
http://www.experiencefestival.com/syrian_malabar_nasrani_-_nasrani_tradition_today/articleindex
Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Syrian Malabar Nasrani - Bibliography, Syrian Malabar Nasrani - Christian Jewish tradition, Syrian Malabar Nasrani - List of prominent Nasranis, Syrian Malabar Nasrani - Nasrani people today, Syrian Malabar Nasrani - Nasrani symbol, Syrian Malabar Nasrani - Nasrani tradition today, Syrian Malabar Nasrani - Origins, Syrian Malabar Nasrani - Persecution by Portuguese, Goa Inquisition
Though much of the Jewish tradition was obliterated and wiped out, some of the important traditions lived on. The symbol of the Nasrani people is still the Nasrani menorah based on the Jewish menorah. Other surviving Jewish tradition still followed by the Nasranis is the tradition of Pesah appam. On passover night, the Nasrani people have Pesah-appam (unleavened passover bread) along with Pesah pal (passover coconut milk). This tradition of Pesah appam is observed by the entire Nasrani people until this day.
The southern coast of the Indian subcontinent (hypothesized by the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus to be the place mentioned as Ophir in the Old Testament) inevitably became a gateway from the Mediterranean world to the Far East. The people there traded in teak, ivory, spices and peacocks, and the area was endowed with a magnificent coastline with numerous ports from Mangalapuram to Kodungallur,
Nasrani people largely live in the districts of Kottayam in Kerala and neighbouring districts. They have also migrated to other cities in India like Mumbai and Bangalore. Others have migrated to the United states and work in the Middle East. At present (based on the Indian census report of 2004), there are approximately 5,000,000 Syrian-malabar nasranis from across the various denominations within the nasrani community. Nasrani people own large estates and engage in trade of rubber, spices and cash crops.
The symbol of the Nasranis is the Syrian cross, also called as Nasrani Menorah or Mar Thoma kurish in malayalam. It is based on the Jewish menorah, the ancient symbol of the Hebrews, which consists of a branched candle stand for seven candlesticks. In the Nasrani Menorah the six branches, (three on either side of the cross) represents God as the burning bush, while the central branch holds the cross, the dove at the tip of the cross represents the Holy Spirit. In Jewish tradition the central branch is the main branch, from which the other branches or other six candles are lit.
These early Christian Jews believed in Jesus as the Christ, but followed Jewish traditions and called themselves Nazaraeans or Nazrani (meaning Jews who followed the Messiah the Nazarene). The term Nazaraean was first mentioned in the New Testament in Acts 24:5. The term nasrani was used essentially to denote Jewish followers of Jesus from Nazareth, while the term Khristianos or (christian) was initially used
The Judeo-Nasrani tradition of the Syro-malabar Nasranis was wiped out when the Portuguese invaded Kerala, and denounced the Nasrani account of Christian faith as false. They imposed their European rituals and liturgy and obliterated the Jewish legacy from the Nasrani tradition. The Portuguese described the Nasranis as Sabbath keeping Judaizers. Archbishop Menezes of Goa, convened the Synod of Diamper in 1599, in Kerala. There he ordered all the texts of the syrian nasranis to be burnt. The Portuguese burned the Gospel of Thomas.
Syrian Malabar Nasrani - Persecution by Portuguese and Tipu Sulthan remains the worst things to have ever happened to Nasranis.
Syrian Malabar Nasrani - Nasrani tradition today
A selection of articles related to Syrian Malabar Nasrani - Nasrani tradition today
More material related to Syrian Malabar Nasrani can be found here:
Main Page
for
Syrian Malabar Nasrani
http://www.experiencefestival.com/syrian_malabar_nasrani
Index of Articles
related to
Syrian Malabar Nasrani
http://www.experiencefestival.com/syrian_malabar_nasrani/articleindex
Index of Articles
related to
Syrian Malabar Nasrani - ...
http://www.experiencefestival.com/syrian_malabar_nasrani_-_nasrani_tradition_today/articleindex
Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Syrian Malabar Nasrani - Bibliography, Syrian Malabar Nasrani - Christian Jewish tradition, Syrian Malabar Nasrani - List of prominent Nasranis, Syrian Malabar Nasrani - Nasrani people today, Syrian Malabar Nasrani - Nasrani symbol, Syrian Malabar Nasrani - Nasrani tradition today, Syrian Malabar Nasrani - Origins, Syrian Malabar Nasrani - Persecution by Portuguese, Goa Inquisition
Though much of the Jewish tradition was obliterated and wiped out, some of the important traditions lived on. The symbol of the Nasrani people is still the Nasrani menorah based on the Jewish menorah. Other surviving Jewish tradition still followed by the Nasranis is the tradition of Pesah appam. On passover night, the Nasrani people have Pesah-appam (unleavened passover bread) along with Pesah pal (passover coconut milk). This tradition of Pesah appam is observed by the entire Nasrani people until this day.
The southern coast of the Indian subcontinent (hypothesized by the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus to be the place mentioned as Ophir in the Old Testament) inevitably became a gateway from the Mediterranean world to the Far East. The people there traded in teak, ivory, spices and peacocks, and the area was endowed with a magnificent coastline with numerous ports from Mangalapuram to Kodungallur,
Nasrani people largely live in the districts of Kottayam in Kerala and neighbouring districts. They have also migrated to other cities in India like Mumbai and Bangalore. Others have migrated to the United states and work in the Middle East. At present (based on the Indian census report of 2004), there are approximately 5,000,000 Syrian-malabar nasranis from across the various denominations within the nasrani community. Nasrani people own large estates and engage in trade of rubber, spices and cash crops.
The symbol of the Nasranis is the Syrian cross, also called as Nasrani Menorah or Mar Thoma kurish in malayalam. It is based on the Jewish menorah, the ancient symbol of the Hebrews, which consists of a branched candle stand for seven candlesticks. In the Nasrani Menorah the six branches, (three on either side of the cross) represents God as the burning bush, while the central branch holds the cross, the dove at the tip of the cross represents the Holy Spirit. In Jewish tradition the central branch is the main branch, from which the other branches or other six candles are lit.
These early Christian Jews believed in Jesus as the Christ, but followed Jewish traditions and called themselves Nazaraeans or Nazrani (meaning Jews who followed the Messiah the Nazarene). The term Nazaraean was first mentioned in the New Testament in Acts 24:5. The term nasrani was used essentially to denote Jewish followers of Jesus from Nazareth, while the term Khristianos or (christian) was initially used
The Judeo-Nasrani tradition of the Syro-malabar Nasranis was wiped out when the Portuguese invaded Kerala, and denounced the Nasrani account of Christian faith as false. They imposed their European rituals and liturgy and obliterated the Jewish legacy from the Nasrani tradition. The Portuguese described the Nasranis as Sabbath keeping Judaizers. Archbishop Menezes of Goa, convened the Synod of Diamper in 1599, in Kerala. There he ordered all the texts of the syrian nasranis to be burnt. The Portuguese burned the Gospel of Thomas.
Syrian Malabar Nasrani - Persecution by Portuguese and Tipu Sulthan remains the worst things to have ever happened to Nasranis.
List of Syrian Malabar Nasranis who made significant contributions
This is a list of Syrian Malabar Nasranis who have made significant contribution to public service, science, sports, literature and the arts.
Politics and Public Service
* A. K. Antony, Defence minister of India and former Chief Minister of Kerala
* Oommen Chandy - Former Chief Minister of Kerala.
* John Mathai, Former Finance Minister of India.
* C. M. Stephen, Former Union Minister of India
* Prof. C. P. Mathew, Member of Parliament
* K. C. Abraham, Former Governor of Andhra Pradesh.
* K. M. Chandy, Former Governor of Madhya Pradesh
* P.C. Alexander, Former Governor of Maharashtra
* P. V. Cherian, Former Governor of Maharashtra
* M. M. Jacob, Former Governor of Meghalaya
* M. M. Thomas, Former Governor of Nagaland
* P. J. Kurian, Former Union Minister of State.
* K. M. Mani - Longest running MLA of Kerala
* Thachil Mathoo Tharakan - First non-Hindu minister of Travancore.
* T.M. Varghese, Founder Leader of Travancore State congress, Freedom Fighter, Later Minister.
* A. J. John, Anaparambil - Chief Minister of Travancore-Cochin (1951-53)
* R. V. Thomas - President (Speaker) of Travancore Legislative Assembly (1948-50)
* Mathai Manjooran - Indian freedom fighter and Socialist revolutionary.
* P. T. Chacko - The only Christian Member of Constituent Assembly from Kerala.
* Sebastian Edathy, German Member of Parliament
* E. John Jacob, Former State Minister
* P. J. Joseph, Former State Minister
* Josef Philip Winkler, German Politician (Nasrani mother)
* Riva Philip, Young Congress Leader
* Akkamma Cherian, Freedom Fighter
* T. M. Jacob, Minister, MLA, Kerala Congress leader
* P. P. Thankachan, MLA, Minister, Congress leader
* Cherian Philip , LDF leader and KTDC chairman
[edit] Literature and Media
A Syro-Malabar Catholic Church with the Holy of Holies containing the Nasrani Menorah or Mar Thoma Sliba(St. Thomas Cross) veiled by a red curtain in the tradition of ancient Jewish synagogue.
* Kandathil Varghese Mappillai, Founder of Malayala Manorama & Bhashaposhini
* Nidhiry Mani Kathanar, Founder of Deepika (erstwhile Naszrani Deepika), Eminent educationalist, Orator, Organizer and Ecumenist
* Paremmakkal Thoma Kathanar, Author of the first travalogue in an Indian language.
* Mathew M. Kuzhively, The author of the first Encyclopedia in an Indian Language.
* Abu Abraham, Cartoonist
* K. C. Mammen Mappillai, Former Chief Editor of Malayala Manorama
* Parappuram Mathai, Novelist
* Ponkunnam Varkey, Essayist & Short-story writer
* Muttathu Varkey, Short-story writer
* K. M. Mathew, Chief Editor, Malayala Manorama
* Toms, Cartoonist
* M. P. Paul, Malayalam critic
* Zacharia, Author
* Yesudasan, Cartoonist
* Arundhati Roy, Author, winner of the Booker Prize
* Vinod Jose, Foreign Correspondent and award winning journalist
* Barrister George Joseph - Editor of Gandhiji's 'Young India'
* Pothen Joseph - Renowned Newspaper Editor
* Mahakavi Kattakayam Cherian Mappillai - Poet
* Mahakavi [[K.V Simon -Kunnumpurathu] - Poet http://tripatlas.com/K._V._Simon
* Mahakavi K.M Varughese-Kunnumpurathu - Poet
* Mahakavi Puthenkavu Mathen Tharakan - Poet
* Mahakavi P M Devasia - Poet
* Chemmanam Chacko - Poet
* M. C. Joseph, Sceptic and writer
* Meena Alexander, Poet
* D. C. Kizhakkemuri - Author ,Founder of D C Books and publisher.
* I C Chacko - Grammarian and one of the early recipients of the Sahithya Academy Award
* Sunnykutty Abraham, Journalist , Writer and the Chief Editor and COO of Jaihind TV
* B.G. Verghese, Magsaysay Award-winning journalist and former editor of The Hindustan Times
* T. N. Ninan, Editor and publisher of the Business Standard
* Jacob Joseph Puthenparambil, Executive Editor of DVV Media Groupand former Editor of IDG's LinuxWorld Middle East and Africa Edition, former Deputy Editor of Gulf Business, author of Nasrani [1]
[edit] Arts and Entertainment
* P. J. Antony, Actor; the first actor from Kerala to receive the National Award for Best Actor (Nirmalyam - 1974)
* Miss Kumari, One of early actresses of Malayalam movies.
* Captain Raju, Actor
* Asin Thottumkal, Actress
* Benny Mathews, American Director
* Johnson (composer) - Malayalam cinema composer
* John Abraham, Actor and Model
* Naveen Andrews, Actor
* Nayantara, Actress
* Meera Jasmine, Actress
* Suleka Mathew, Canadian Actress
* Sugith Varughese, Canadian Actor
* Shelly Malil, Actor
* Paul Varghese, Comedian
* Anchal Joseph, Model
* Kim Thayil, Guitarist of 90's vanguard grunge band Soundgarden
* Kunchacko Boban, Actor
* Serena Varghese, Indian American Actress
* Nafisa Joseph, Miss India Universe 1997,
* Annie Thomas, Miss India World 1998
* Sabrina Setlur, German Singer
* Anand Jon
* Kunchacko, Founder of Udaya Studios, and pioneer movie-maker of Malayalam Film
* Gopika, Actress
* Elisa Moolecherry, Actress
* Riju Raju Sam, Writer, Editor, & Director. See YouTube.com, Google videos, imdb.com, Yahoo Videos. Promoter of www.filmmakersspace.com . (Los Angeles, California).
[edit] Sports
* Abey Kuruvilla, Indian Cricketer
* Anju Bobby George, Athlete
* Jimmy George, Indian Volleyball Player
* Cyril Valloor, Indian Volleyball Player
* K. M. Beenamol, Athlete
* Shiny Abraham, Athlete
* T. C. Yohannan, Long Jumper
* Tinu Yohannan, Indian Cricketer
* Johnson Varghese, Boxer
* Tom Joseph, Indian Volleyball Player
* M. D. Valsamma, Athlete - Asiad Gold Medallist
* Mercy Kuttan, Athlete
* Leelamma Thomas, Indian Basketball Player
* Geethu Anna Jose, Indian Basketball Player
[edit] Business
* Reji Abraham - Chairman Aban Group; No.605 in the Forbes List of Global Billionaires.
* Dominic Joseph Kuruvinakunnel - Founder of Casino (CGH Earth) Group of Hotels and Father of Tourism Industry in Kerala.
* Chalakuzhy Paulose Matthen, Founder of the Quilon Bank Ltd. which merged to form TNQ Bank Ltd.
* K. C. Mammen Mappillai - Founder of Travancore National Bank Ltd. which merged to form TNQ Bank Ltd.
* Joseph Augusti Kayalackakom - Founder of Palai Central Bank Ltd.
* M C Cherian Manamel - Largest single plantation owner
* Thachil Mathoo Tharakan, First timber exporter of Southern India
* K. M. Mammen Mappillai, Founder of Madras Rubber Factory - MRF
* Kandathil Varghese Mappillai, Founder of Malayala Manorama
* Appu Kuttan, Founder of CyberLearning Universe and former owner of the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy
* Kulangara Paulo Hormis, Founder of the Federal Bank
* Kochouseph Chittilappilly, Industrialist - ( V-Guard / Veega Land)
* Joy Alukkas, Alukkas Group
* Ashok M. Kurien, Co-founder of Zee TV
[edit] Science and Technology
* E. C. George Sudarshan, Theoretical Physicist.
* Mathai Varghese, Mathematician
* Dr.K.T.Jacob,Pioneering Plant-Geneticist,Took over the work of Sir.Jagadish Chandra Bose.
* Thomas Kailath
* George Varghese
* K. Mani Chandy
* Thomas Zacharia
* Kochu Thresia, First Female Chief Engineer of Kerala
[edit] Medicine
* Thomas Thomas, The first Indian Cardio-Thoracic surgeon
* Mary Punnen Lukose - First lady doctor of India
* Abraham Verghese, American medico and author
* K. M. Cherian, Indian heart-surgeon
* Paul Antony, American Physician
[edit] Education and Government Service
* K.Kururvilla Jacob, India's most revered Educationist.
* Anna Chandy, First woman judge of an Indian High Court
* T K Kochuthomman, Former Justice of the Supreme Court of India.
* Ravi J. Matthai, Founding Director of IIM Ahmedabad
* Verghese Kurien, Founder of Amul and Father of the Indian White Revolution
* K.K. Mathew, Former Justice of the Supreme Court of India.
* Rachel Paulose, Youngest US woman attorney
* Joy Cherian, First Asian American to serve on the EEOC
* Peter Varghese, Director of the Office of National Assessments (Australia)
* P K H Tharakan, Former head of Research and Analysis Wing
* Abraham George
* K T Chandy, Founder Director of IIM Calcutta
[edit] Religion
* His Grace Mar Thoma I Metropolitan , First bishop of the Indian church.
* Abraham Malpan, (1795-1845). Leader of Reformation in Malankara Syrian Church.
* Mathews Mar Athanasius. (1818-1877). Malankara Syrian Christian Metropolitan.
* Gregorios Geevarghese, Saint Gregorios of Malankara Syrian Church
* Mar Varkey Cardinal Vithayathil, Major ArchBishop of Syro Malabar Church
* Baselios Thomas I, Catholicos of Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church
* Philipose Mar Chrysostom ,Metropolitan Bishop of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church
* Mar Joseph Powathil, Arch Bishop of Changanacherry- Kerala
* George Kovoor, Principal of Trinity College, Bristol[2]
* Sebastian Kappen, Liberation theologian
* K. V. Simon ,Christian Poet and Mahakavi
* Mar Sebastian Mankuzhikary.(1818-1877). First Bishop of Thamarasserry, Great Orator and Philosopher
* Mathew Mankuzhikary .(1909 - 2003). Pioneer of Parish Retreats in Kerala, Spiritual Guide of more than 1000 Catholic priests
* Rt.Rev. Abraham Karimpanathara Corepiscopa, Vicar, St. Mary's Church, Manarcad, Kottayam.
[edit] Others
* Dr. Verghese Kurien, Amul
* George Abraham Thampy, Winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2000
* Matthew Eappen, Baby who was murdered in the Louise Woodward case
* Vinod Thomas, Director-General of Independent Evaluation Group), World Bank
* Thankom Philip - The first and foremost culiniary expert of India
* M.O. Mathai, Private secretary to Jawaharlal Nehru
Politics and Public Service
* A. K. Antony, Defence minister of India and former Chief Minister of Kerala
* Oommen Chandy - Former Chief Minister of Kerala.
* John Mathai, Former Finance Minister of India.
* C. M. Stephen, Former Union Minister of India
* Prof. C. P. Mathew, Member of Parliament
* K. C. Abraham, Former Governor of Andhra Pradesh.
* K. M. Chandy, Former Governor of Madhya Pradesh
* P.C. Alexander, Former Governor of Maharashtra
* P. V. Cherian, Former Governor of Maharashtra
* M. M. Jacob, Former Governor of Meghalaya
* M. M. Thomas, Former Governor of Nagaland
* P. J. Kurian, Former Union Minister of State.
* K. M. Mani - Longest running MLA of Kerala
* Thachil Mathoo Tharakan - First non-Hindu minister of Travancore.
* T.M. Varghese, Founder Leader of Travancore State congress, Freedom Fighter, Later Minister.
* A. J. John, Anaparambil - Chief Minister of Travancore-Cochin (1951-53)
* R. V. Thomas - President (Speaker) of Travancore Legislative Assembly (1948-50)
* Mathai Manjooran - Indian freedom fighter and Socialist revolutionary.
* P. T. Chacko - The only Christian Member of Constituent Assembly from Kerala.
* Sebastian Edathy, German Member of Parliament
* E. John Jacob, Former State Minister
* P. J. Joseph, Former State Minister
* Josef Philip Winkler, German Politician (Nasrani mother)
* Riva Philip, Young Congress Leader
* Akkamma Cherian, Freedom Fighter
* T. M. Jacob, Minister, MLA, Kerala Congress leader
* P. P. Thankachan, MLA, Minister, Congress leader
* Cherian Philip , LDF leader and KTDC chairman
[edit] Literature and Media
A Syro-Malabar Catholic Church with the Holy of Holies containing the Nasrani Menorah or Mar Thoma Sliba(St. Thomas Cross) veiled by a red curtain in the tradition of ancient Jewish synagogue.
* Kandathil Varghese Mappillai, Founder of Malayala Manorama & Bhashaposhini
* Nidhiry Mani Kathanar, Founder of Deepika (erstwhile Naszrani Deepika), Eminent educationalist, Orator, Organizer and Ecumenist
* Paremmakkal Thoma Kathanar, Author of the first travalogue in an Indian language.
* Mathew M. Kuzhively, The author of the first Encyclopedia in an Indian Language.
* Abu Abraham, Cartoonist
* K. C. Mammen Mappillai, Former Chief Editor of Malayala Manorama
* Parappuram Mathai, Novelist
* Ponkunnam Varkey, Essayist & Short-story writer
* Muttathu Varkey, Short-story writer
* K. M. Mathew, Chief Editor, Malayala Manorama
* Toms, Cartoonist
* M. P. Paul, Malayalam critic
* Zacharia, Author
* Yesudasan, Cartoonist
* Arundhati Roy, Author, winner of the Booker Prize
* Vinod Jose, Foreign Correspondent and award winning journalist
* Barrister George Joseph - Editor of Gandhiji's 'Young India'
* Pothen Joseph - Renowned Newspaper Editor
* Mahakavi Kattakayam Cherian Mappillai - Poet
* Mahakavi [[K.V Simon -Kunnumpurathu] - Poet http://tripatlas.com/K._V._Simon
* Mahakavi K.M Varughese-Kunnumpurathu - Poet
* Mahakavi Puthenkavu Mathen Tharakan - Poet
* Mahakavi P M Devasia - Poet
* Chemmanam Chacko - Poet
* M. C. Joseph, Sceptic and writer
* Meena Alexander, Poet
* D. C. Kizhakkemuri - Author ,Founder of D C Books and publisher.
* I C Chacko - Grammarian and one of the early recipients of the Sahithya Academy Award
* Sunnykutty Abraham, Journalist , Writer and the Chief Editor and COO of Jaihind TV
* B.G. Verghese, Magsaysay Award-winning journalist and former editor of The Hindustan Times
* T. N. Ninan, Editor and publisher of the Business Standard
* Jacob Joseph Puthenparambil, Executive Editor of DVV Media Groupand former Editor of IDG's LinuxWorld Middle East and Africa Edition, former Deputy Editor of Gulf Business, author of Nasrani [1]
[edit] Arts and Entertainment
* P. J. Antony, Actor; the first actor from Kerala to receive the National Award for Best Actor (Nirmalyam - 1974)
* Miss Kumari, One of early actresses of Malayalam movies.
* Captain Raju, Actor
* Asin Thottumkal, Actress
* Benny Mathews, American Director
* Johnson (composer) - Malayalam cinema composer
* John Abraham, Actor and Model
* Naveen Andrews, Actor
* Nayantara, Actress
* Meera Jasmine, Actress
* Suleka Mathew, Canadian Actress
* Sugith Varughese, Canadian Actor
* Shelly Malil, Actor
* Paul Varghese, Comedian
* Anchal Joseph, Model
* Kim Thayil, Guitarist of 90's vanguard grunge band Soundgarden
* Kunchacko Boban, Actor
* Serena Varghese, Indian American Actress
* Nafisa Joseph, Miss India Universe 1997,
* Annie Thomas, Miss India World 1998
* Sabrina Setlur, German Singer
* Anand Jon
* Kunchacko, Founder of Udaya Studios, and pioneer movie-maker of Malayalam Film
* Gopika, Actress
* Elisa Moolecherry, Actress
* Riju Raju Sam, Writer, Editor, & Director. See YouTube.com, Google videos, imdb.com, Yahoo Videos. Promoter of www.filmmakersspace.com . (Los Angeles, California).
[edit] Sports
* Abey Kuruvilla, Indian Cricketer
* Anju Bobby George, Athlete
* Jimmy George, Indian Volleyball Player
* Cyril Valloor, Indian Volleyball Player
* K. M. Beenamol, Athlete
* Shiny Abraham, Athlete
* T. C. Yohannan, Long Jumper
* Tinu Yohannan, Indian Cricketer
* Johnson Varghese, Boxer
* Tom Joseph, Indian Volleyball Player
* M. D. Valsamma, Athlete - Asiad Gold Medallist
* Mercy Kuttan, Athlete
* Leelamma Thomas, Indian Basketball Player
* Geethu Anna Jose, Indian Basketball Player
[edit] Business
* Reji Abraham - Chairman Aban Group; No.605 in the Forbes List of Global Billionaires.
* Dominic Joseph Kuruvinakunnel - Founder of Casino (CGH Earth) Group of Hotels and Father of Tourism Industry in Kerala.
* Chalakuzhy Paulose Matthen, Founder of the Quilon Bank Ltd. which merged to form TNQ Bank Ltd.
* K. C. Mammen Mappillai - Founder of Travancore National Bank Ltd. which merged to form TNQ Bank Ltd.
* Joseph Augusti Kayalackakom - Founder of Palai Central Bank Ltd.
* M C Cherian Manamel - Largest single plantation owner
* Thachil Mathoo Tharakan, First timber exporter of Southern India
* K. M. Mammen Mappillai, Founder of Madras Rubber Factory - MRF
* Kandathil Varghese Mappillai, Founder of Malayala Manorama
* Appu Kuttan, Founder of CyberLearning Universe and former owner of the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy
* Kulangara Paulo Hormis, Founder of the Federal Bank
* Kochouseph Chittilappilly, Industrialist - ( V-Guard / Veega Land)
* Joy Alukkas, Alukkas Group
* Ashok M. Kurien, Co-founder of Zee TV
[edit] Science and Technology
* E. C. George Sudarshan, Theoretical Physicist.
* Mathai Varghese, Mathematician
* Dr.K.T.Jacob,Pioneering Plant-Geneticist,Took over the work of Sir.Jagadish Chandra Bose.
* Thomas Kailath
* George Varghese
* K. Mani Chandy
* Thomas Zacharia
* Kochu Thresia, First Female Chief Engineer of Kerala
[edit] Medicine
* Thomas Thomas, The first Indian Cardio-Thoracic surgeon
* Mary Punnen Lukose - First lady doctor of India
* Abraham Verghese, American medico and author
* K. M. Cherian, Indian heart-surgeon
* Paul Antony, American Physician
[edit] Education and Government Service
* K.Kururvilla Jacob, India's most revered Educationist.
* Anna Chandy, First woman judge of an Indian High Court
* T K Kochuthomman, Former Justice of the Supreme Court of India.
* Ravi J. Matthai, Founding Director of IIM Ahmedabad
* Verghese Kurien, Founder of Amul and Father of the Indian White Revolution
* K.K. Mathew, Former Justice of the Supreme Court of India.
* Rachel Paulose, Youngest US woman attorney
* Joy Cherian, First Asian American to serve on the EEOC
* Peter Varghese, Director of the Office of National Assessments (Australia)
* P K H Tharakan, Former head of Research and Analysis Wing
* Abraham George
* K T Chandy, Founder Director of IIM Calcutta
[edit] Religion
* His Grace Mar Thoma I Metropolitan , First bishop of the Indian church.
* Abraham Malpan, (1795-1845). Leader of Reformation in Malankara Syrian Church.
* Mathews Mar Athanasius. (1818-1877). Malankara Syrian Christian Metropolitan.
* Gregorios Geevarghese, Saint Gregorios of Malankara Syrian Church
* Mar Varkey Cardinal Vithayathil, Major ArchBishop of Syro Malabar Church
* Baselios Thomas I, Catholicos of Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church
* Philipose Mar Chrysostom ,Metropolitan Bishop of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church
* Mar Joseph Powathil, Arch Bishop of Changanacherry- Kerala
* George Kovoor, Principal of Trinity College, Bristol[2]
* Sebastian Kappen, Liberation theologian
* K. V. Simon ,Christian Poet and Mahakavi
* Mar Sebastian Mankuzhikary.(1818-1877). First Bishop of Thamarasserry, Great Orator and Philosopher
* Mathew Mankuzhikary .(1909 - 2003). Pioneer of Parish Retreats in Kerala, Spiritual Guide of more than 1000 Catholic priests
* Rt.Rev. Abraham Karimpanathara Corepiscopa, Vicar, St. Mary's Church, Manarcad, Kottayam.
[edit] Others
* Dr. Verghese Kurien, Amul
* George Abraham Thampy, Winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2000
* Matthew Eappen, Baby who was murdered in the Louise Woodward case
* Vinod Thomas, Director-General of Independent Evaluation Group), World Bank
* Thankom Philip - The first and foremost culiniary expert of India
* M.O. Mathai, Private secretary to Jawaharlal Nehru
Tipu Sultan and the Syrian Christians
The Tiger's rampage through Kerala
By olikara Posted May 8, 2007 22:47:58
The invasion of kerala by Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan of Mysore in the latter half of the 18th century left a deep impact on kerala polity and society. This invasion of the mysoreans and Tipu in particular is called the ‘Padayottam’.
Much of it’s effects are visble deep down in the keralite psyche even today. To understand what effect this incursion into kerala had on the syrian christian community, we need to study the timeline of events during those tumultous times between 1766 and 1790 in kerala.
10 Feb 1766: Hyder Ali along with a formidable force is welcomed into kerala by the Ali Raja of Cannanore. The Mysorean army guided by Ali Raja and his brother seize the palace of the Raja of Kolathiri at Chirakkal. The Raja and his family flee south to take refuge at the English trading station in Tellichery.
15 Mar 1766: Hyder enters the Kottayam (North Kerala) Raja’s territory where the Raja’s moplah subjects desert him and join their compatriots withy the mysoreans. The kadathanad territory is sacked after Hyder’s forces rout the keralite forces.
The Zamorin is helpless in Calicut where Hyder rushes to meet him. Hyder demands 1 crore gold mohurs from the Zamorin, which he refuses to pay. Desperate and feeling humiliated, the Zamorin commits suicide in his palace. Calicut is stripped of all it’s wealth by Hyder.
Hyder sends missives to Cochin and Travancore asking them to submit to Mysore. Cochin, agrees to pay an annual subsidy of two lakhs of rupees and eight elephants. Travancore, defies Mysore. Hyder is now determined to enter Travancore. However the monsoon sets into kerala.
June 1766: Hyder retires to Coimbatore, and taking advantage of this, the keralites come out of their refuges and retake what they lost to Hyder. The mysorean strongholds of Calicut and Ponnani are besieged by the keralites. General Raza Saib leaves Mudukarai to quell the rebellion in Malabar where he is trapped by the torrential rain that traps him between the rebellious keralites and the swelling Ponnnani river.
Hearing about this grave situation Hyder dashes to kerala with 3000 cavalry and 10000 infantry. The keralites are unable to face this vast army and flee with much loss of life and carnage. To crush the martial spirit of the keralites, especially of the Nairs, Hyder declares that the keralites are forbidden to carry arms. Hyder marches back to Mysore to confront the British alliance which was marching to Seringapatam.
1771: Sardar Khan with his army marches through Cochin and takes Trichur. However the East India company now actively come to the keralites rescue and retake Calicut. Sardar Khan is dead. Hyder sends over Mukhdam Ali to restore order and he with a force of 7000 mysoreans meet the keralites in battle. The mysorean force is routed by the Nairs and English. Makhdum Ali is killed, drowned while fleeing.
The English reach Ponnani and shut themselves up in the fort there, where they are besieged by Tipu Sultan.
7 Dec 1782: Hyder Ali passes away and Tipu rushes back to Mysore.
11 Feb 1789: Tipu Sultan enters Malabar for the second time. He invests Kadathanad and marries off his son to the daughter of the Bibi of Cannanore.
After the monsoon, Tipu enters Palghat and summons the Cochin Raja to his presence. However the Cochin Raja balks out at the last moment and sends the crown prince, the soon to be legendary, Sakthan Tamburan in his place.
14 Dec 1789: Tipu enters Trichur. Mysorean incursions into the heartland of syrian christianity begin.
5 Jan 1790: Tipu attacks the Travancore Lines and suffers heavy casualties in this process. He falls down into a ditch during the battle losing his royal insignia in the process. He also injures his leg here. Enraged at the turn of events he summons heavy siege battery from Seringapatam and Bangalore and on their arrival demolishes the once impregnable Travancore Lines.
Tipu continues his victorious march forward into Alwaye where the monsoon puts a dampener to his activities.
24 May 1790: Tipu leaves Malabar never to return.
September 1790: The British with a regiment of Malabar Sepoys capture the Calicut fort and besiege Cannanore where the Bibi surrenders unconditionally.
Thus ends the series of events that perhaps marked the most tumultous series of events in Kerala history after the Chola invasions of the 11th-13th centuries.
Now let us delve into how the syrian christians fared during this period. The first recorded contact between Mysore and the Syrian Christians happened when Hyder after subduing the Zamorin was at Coimbatore. This was recorded by Tipu’s son, Prince Gholam Mohammed in his narrative of the history of his father and grandfather.
Here, the Jesuit provincial, an Italian, produced a letter from the Archibishop of Cochin, who recommended to him a Malabar priest of the community of Christians of St. Thomas, whose diocesan the Archibishop was. He was deputed, together with three other laymen of his country, to request of Hyder the permission to keep fire-arms, under the pretence that, by not being armed , they ran the risk of being robbed by the Nairs, and the soldiers of Hyder.
Hyder replied “You people (The Syrian Christians) have been disarmed, because you assasinated each other, being always at enimity on account of your different castes: I shall take care to place safe guards in the country, to prevent my people from molesting you, and I shall send troops sufficient to disperse the Nairs.”
Hyder was of course, referring to the divisions in the Syrian Christian church on account of the split into the Roman Catholic and Jacobite groups. We know from the narrative, that the syrian christian deputies who came to Coimbatore were stout men, with a ferocious air and manners. They had the figure of a small cross above their nose punctured in the skin, and a large scar on the right cheek, caused by a recoil of their muskets.
Thus ends Gholam Mohammed’s narrative about the meeting here. It is interesting from several perspectives. Firstly it shows us that the same dissensions that trouble the Syrian church in India today was there then too, albeit in a more violent form. It also shows that the Syrian Christians had among them armed warriors especially adept in using the matchlock. This could be on account of their close contact with the Europeans. Portuguese historian Gouvea says that “Christians had supplied the Raja of Cochin with an army of 50000 gunsmen”. It is very probable that in the keralite forces opposing the mysoreans, the syrian christian militia also played a useful role along with the Nairs. We must also compliment Hyder Ali for his knowledge of current affairs. No wonder, the British regarded him and his son as the greatest impediments to their dreams of an Indian Empire.
There is also an interesting account of a loan advanced to Brigadier-General Richard Mathews, Commander-in-Chief of the East India Company’s Bombay Council who was sent to capture Mangalore from the Mysoreans. This loan of 3,30,000 rupees was said to have been advanced to him by the Syrian Christian community as he was short of funds to effect the capture of Mangalore.
Brigadier-General Mathews would later be taken prisoner by Tipu and would die in captivity in Seringapatam in 1783, where in his last testament-recorded on 4 pewter plates found after Tipu’s death in 1799 and Seringapatam’s capture, he begged the British government to look after the Malabar christians. The syrian christian community was even then a prosperous community and had several merchants rich enough to advance that kind of a loan to the British.
Now let us look into the issue of the damage done to Syrian Christian life and property during the Mysorean invasion of kerala. There is no doubt about the fact that Tipu’s soldiers did great damage to several Christain churches and seminaries that they encountered in kerala.
The old Syrian christian seminary at Angamaly was razed to the ground by Tipu’s soldiers. Before the armed soldiers entered the building some priests showed the presence of mind to collect many of the valuable manuscripts in the seminary and load them into a boat so that they may be saved. However the boat sunk during the course of the journey and the manuscripts were lost for ever. The old seminary at Angamaly had been at the center of Nasrani religious education for several centuries and was relocated to kottayam after it’s destruction, where it exists to this date.
A contemporary account of the mysorean army at the doors of Alwaye has come down to us through Father Bartholomew who was on the spot then. He says that the mysorean army halted on the sandy basin of the Alwaye river. They planned to cross over the next day. The monks at the Catholic monastery of Verapoly began to pray for deliverance from Tipu’s wrath. What happened then was really miraculous. The mysoreans with their weapons were sleeping along the broad sandy banks of the river in April when a torrential downpour swelled the river and washed away the troops and their arms. Mir Hussein Kirmani, a contemporary of Tipu and a camp follower writes of this incident “The army that came to swallow Travancore was swept away into the Arabian Sea”. That was the farthest in kerala that Tipu could get to.
However by then much damage was done. Along with the old syrian seminary at Angamaly, many churches in the Malabar and Cochin were damaged. The Mor Sabor church at Akaparambu and the Martha Mariam Church attached to the old seminary at Angamaly bore the brunt of the mysoreans. Whatever remained of Syrian Christianity in Malabar since ancient times was destroyed. The Syrian Christian community had to flee Calicut and even towns like Arthat in Kunnamkulam. Several lives were lost too.
Tippu Sultan’s army set fire to the church at Palayoor and attacked the Ollur Church in 1790. Further the Mysoreans destroyed the Arthat church and the Ambazhakkad seminary was also destroyed. Paremmakkal Thoma Kathanar, the author of malayalam language’s first travelogue and Governor of Kodungallur had his office at Alangad but he and others had to flee from there following the invasion of Tippu Sultan and they set up the office at Church at Vadayar and later at Ramapuram.
When Tipu Sultan invaded Guruvayur and adjacent areas, looting Temples and Churches, a large number of refugees came to Kunnamkulam headed by Rev. Father Pulikkottil Joseph Kathanar, Vicar of Arthatt Church. Thus Kunnamkulam received a large influx of syrian christian refugees and is today regarded as a centre of this community.
The Kanjur church has a mural which depicts a battle scene where the army of Tipu Sultan on the one side is shown fighting those of the English East India Company, aided by local militia, in all probability malabar sepoys, on the other.
The biggest loss to the Syrian christian community was not the damage to their institutions alone, but the indiscriminate destruction of coconut, arecanut, pepper and cashew plantations by the mysoreans when they swept through kerala. Most of the syrian christians were landed farmers and their prosperity derived from the land they farmed.
Whether these atrocities had Tipu’s sanction or were committed by bloodthirsty soldiers looking for plunder is for historians to judge and out of the purview of this article.
Sakthan Tamburan, the ruler of Cochin also helped the Syrian christian community in a great way to get through the mysorean calamity by encouraging Syrian businesses, plantations and emigration to new centres like Kunnamkulam, Chalakudi, etc. Colonel Macaulay, the British resident at Travancore was also helpful here.
The invasion of Hyder and Tipu led to the decline of the old feudal order in kerala and to the introduction of modern progressive ideas about state and government. The British had emerged supreme in the power game in kerala.
In the end, the syrian christians like their brethren among the hindus and jews recovered from this nightmare and continued trying to live their way of life as they had known for almost two millenia since the advent of St. Thomas in kerala. But then, nothing would be same again.
References: Wilks - Conduct of the war with the Late Tippoo Sultan
G. Mohammed-History of Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan
K.L. Bernard-Kerala History
Indian Church History Classics, Vol. I, The Nazranies
D. Forrest-The Tiger of Mysore
Also Posted by Olikara on Wordpress NSC
By olikara Posted May 8, 2007 22:47:58
The invasion of kerala by Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan of Mysore in the latter half of the 18th century left a deep impact on kerala polity and society. This invasion of the mysoreans and Tipu in particular is called the ‘Padayottam’.
Much of it’s effects are visble deep down in the keralite psyche even today. To understand what effect this incursion into kerala had on the syrian christian community, we need to study the timeline of events during those tumultous times between 1766 and 1790 in kerala.
10 Feb 1766: Hyder Ali along with a formidable force is welcomed into kerala by the Ali Raja of Cannanore. The Mysorean army guided by Ali Raja and his brother seize the palace of the Raja of Kolathiri at Chirakkal. The Raja and his family flee south to take refuge at the English trading station in Tellichery.
15 Mar 1766: Hyder enters the Kottayam (North Kerala) Raja’s territory where the Raja’s moplah subjects desert him and join their compatriots withy the mysoreans. The kadathanad territory is sacked after Hyder’s forces rout the keralite forces.
The Zamorin is helpless in Calicut where Hyder rushes to meet him. Hyder demands 1 crore gold mohurs from the Zamorin, which he refuses to pay. Desperate and feeling humiliated, the Zamorin commits suicide in his palace. Calicut is stripped of all it’s wealth by Hyder.
Hyder sends missives to Cochin and Travancore asking them to submit to Mysore. Cochin, agrees to pay an annual subsidy of two lakhs of rupees and eight elephants. Travancore, defies Mysore. Hyder is now determined to enter Travancore. However the monsoon sets into kerala.
June 1766: Hyder retires to Coimbatore, and taking advantage of this, the keralites come out of their refuges and retake what they lost to Hyder. The mysorean strongholds of Calicut and Ponnani are besieged by the keralites. General Raza Saib leaves Mudukarai to quell the rebellion in Malabar where he is trapped by the torrential rain that traps him between the rebellious keralites and the swelling Ponnnani river.
Hearing about this grave situation Hyder dashes to kerala with 3000 cavalry and 10000 infantry. The keralites are unable to face this vast army and flee with much loss of life and carnage. To crush the martial spirit of the keralites, especially of the Nairs, Hyder declares that the keralites are forbidden to carry arms. Hyder marches back to Mysore to confront the British alliance which was marching to Seringapatam.
1771: Sardar Khan with his army marches through Cochin and takes Trichur. However the East India company now actively come to the keralites rescue and retake Calicut. Sardar Khan is dead. Hyder sends over Mukhdam Ali to restore order and he with a force of 7000 mysoreans meet the keralites in battle. The mysorean force is routed by the Nairs and English. Makhdum Ali is killed, drowned while fleeing.
The English reach Ponnani and shut themselves up in the fort there, where they are besieged by Tipu Sultan.
7 Dec 1782: Hyder Ali passes away and Tipu rushes back to Mysore.
11 Feb 1789: Tipu Sultan enters Malabar for the second time. He invests Kadathanad and marries off his son to the daughter of the Bibi of Cannanore.
After the monsoon, Tipu enters Palghat and summons the Cochin Raja to his presence. However the Cochin Raja balks out at the last moment and sends the crown prince, the soon to be legendary, Sakthan Tamburan in his place.
14 Dec 1789: Tipu enters Trichur. Mysorean incursions into the heartland of syrian christianity begin.
5 Jan 1790: Tipu attacks the Travancore Lines and suffers heavy casualties in this process. He falls down into a ditch during the battle losing his royal insignia in the process. He also injures his leg here. Enraged at the turn of events he summons heavy siege battery from Seringapatam and Bangalore and on their arrival demolishes the once impregnable Travancore Lines.
Tipu continues his victorious march forward into Alwaye where the monsoon puts a dampener to his activities.
24 May 1790: Tipu leaves Malabar never to return.
September 1790: The British with a regiment of Malabar Sepoys capture the Calicut fort and besiege Cannanore where the Bibi surrenders unconditionally.
Thus ends the series of events that perhaps marked the most tumultous series of events in Kerala history after the Chola invasions of the 11th-13th centuries.
Now let us delve into how the syrian christians fared during this period. The first recorded contact between Mysore and the Syrian Christians happened when Hyder after subduing the Zamorin was at Coimbatore. This was recorded by Tipu’s son, Prince Gholam Mohammed in his narrative of the history of his father and grandfather.
Here, the Jesuit provincial, an Italian, produced a letter from the Archibishop of Cochin, who recommended to him a Malabar priest of the community of Christians of St. Thomas, whose diocesan the Archibishop was. He was deputed, together with three other laymen of his country, to request of Hyder the permission to keep fire-arms, under the pretence that, by not being armed , they ran the risk of being robbed by the Nairs, and the soldiers of Hyder.
Hyder replied “You people (The Syrian Christians) have been disarmed, because you assasinated each other, being always at enimity on account of your different castes: I shall take care to place safe guards in the country, to prevent my people from molesting you, and I shall send troops sufficient to disperse the Nairs.”
Hyder was of course, referring to the divisions in the Syrian Christian church on account of the split into the Roman Catholic and Jacobite groups. We know from the narrative, that the syrian christian deputies who came to Coimbatore were stout men, with a ferocious air and manners. They had the figure of a small cross above their nose punctured in the skin, and a large scar on the right cheek, caused by a recoil of their muskets.
Thus ends Gholam Mohammed’s narrative about the meeting here. It is interesting from several perspectives. Firstly it shows us that the same dissensions that trouble the Syrian church in India today was there then too, albeit in a more violent form. It also shows that the Syrian Christians had among them armed warriors especially adept in using the matchlock. This could be on account of their close contact with the Europeans. Portuguese historian Gouvea says that “Christians had supplied the Raja of Cochin with an army of 50000 gunsmen”. It is very probable that in the keralite forces opposing the mysoreans, the syrian christian militia also played a useful role along with the Nairs. We must also compliment Hyder Ali for his knowledge of current affairs. No wonder, the British regarded him and his son as the greatest impediments to their dreams of an Indian Empire.
There is also an interesting account of a loan advanced to Brigadier-General Richard Mathews, Commander-in-Chief of the East India Company’s Bombay Council who was sent to capture Mangalore from the Mysoreans. This loan of 3,30,000 rupees was said to have been advanced to him by the Syrian Christian community as he was short of funds to effect the capture of Mangalore.
Brigadier-General Mathews would later be taken prisoner by Tipu and would die in captivity in Seringapatam in 1783, where in his last testament-recorded on 4 pewter plates found after Tipu’s death in 1799 and Seringapatam’s capture, he begged the British government to look after the Malabar christians. The syrian christian community was even then a prosperous community and had several merchants rich enough to advance that kind of a loan to the British.
Now let us look into the issue of the damage done to Syrian Christian life and property during the Mysorean invasion of kerala. There is no doubt about the fact that Tipu’s soldiers did great damage to several Christain churches and seminaries that they encountered in kerala.
The old Syrian christian seminary at Angamaly was razed to the ground by Tipu’s soldiers. Before the armed soldiers entered the building some priests showed the presence of mind to collect many of the valuable manuscripts in the seminary and load them into a boat so that they may be saved. However the boat sunk during the course of the journey and the manuscripts were lost for ever. The old seminary at Angamaly had been at the center of Nasrani religious education for several centuries and was relocated to kottayam after it’s destruction, where it exists to this date.
A contemporary account of the mysorean army at the doors of Alwaye has come down to us through Father Bartholomew who was on the spot then. He says that the mysorean army halted on the sandy basin of the Alwaye river. They planned to cross over the next day. The monks at the Catholic monastery of Verapoly began to pray for deliverance from Tipu’s wrath. What happened then was really miraculous. The mysoreans with their weapons were sleeping along the broad sandy banks of the river in April when a torrential downpour swelled the river and washed away the troops and their arms. Mir Hussein Kirmani, a contemporary of Tipu and a camp follower writes of this incident “The army that came to swallow Travancore was swept away into the Arabian Sea”. That was the farthest in kerala that Tipu could get to.
However by then much damage was done. Along with the old syrian seminary at Angamaly, many churches in the Malabar and Cochin were damaged. The Mor Sabor church at Akaparambu and the Martha Mariam Church attached to the old seminary at Angamaly bore the brunt of the mysoreans. Whatever remained of Syrian Christianity in Malabar since ancient times was destroyed. The Syrian Christian community had to flee Calicut and even towns like Arthat in Kunnamkulam. Several lives were lost too.
Tippu Sultan’s army set fire to the church at Palayoor and attacked the Ollur Church in 1790. Further the Mysoreans destroyed the Arthat church and the Ambazhakkad seminary was also destroyed. Paremmakkal Thoma Kathanar, the author of malayalam language’s first travelogue and Governor of Kodungallur had his office at Alangad but he and others had to flee from there following the invasion of Tippu Sultan and they set up the office at Church at Vadayar and later at Ramapuram.
When Tipu Sultan invaded Guruvayur and adjacent areas, looting Temples and Churches, a large number of refugees came to Kunnamkulam headed by Rev. Father Pulikkottil Joseph Kathanar, Vicar of Arthatt Church. Thus Kunnamkulam received a large influx of syrian christian refugees and is today regarded as a centre of this community.
The Kanjur church has a mural which depicts a battle scene where the army of Tipu Sultan on the one side is shown fighting those of the English East India Company, aided by local militia, in all probability malabar sepoys, on the other.
The biggest loss to the Syrian christian community was not the damage to their institutions alone, but the indiscriminate destruction of coconut, arecanut, pepper and cashew plantations by the mysoreans when they swept through kerala. Most of the syrian christians were landed farmers and their prosperity derived from the land they farmed.
Whether these atrocities had Tipu’s sanction or were committed by bloodthirsty soldiers looking for plunder is for historians to judge and out of the purview of this article.
Sakthan Tamburan, the ruler of Cochin also helped the Syrian christian community in a great way to get through the mysorean calamity by encouraging Syrian businesses, plantations and emigration to new centres like Kunnamkulam, Chalakudi, etc. Colonel Macaulay, the British resident at Travancore was also helpful here.
The invasion of Hyder and Tipu led to the decline of the old feudal order in kerala and to the introduction of modern progressive ideas about state and government. The British had emerged supreme in the power game in kerala.
In the end, the syrian christians like their brethren among the hindus and jews recovered from this nightmare and continued trying to live their way of life as they had known for almost two millenia since the advent of St. Thomas in kerala. But then, nothing would be same again.
References: Wilks - Conduct of the war with the Late Tippoo Sultan
G. Mohammed-History of Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan
K.L. Bernard-Kerala History
Indian Church History Classics, Vol. I, The Nazranies
D. Forrest-The Tiger of Mysore
Also Posted by Olikara on Wordpress NSC
Tippu Sultan the worst thing to have happened for Kerala
Tippu Sultan's invasion of the Malabar had an adverse impact on the the Syrian Malabar Nasrani community of the Malabar coast. Many churches in the Malabar and Cochin were damaged. The old Syrian Nasrani seminary at Angamaly which had been the center of Catholic religious education for several centuries was razed to the ground by Tippu’s soldiers. A lot of centuries old religious manuscripts were lost forever. The church was later relocated to Kottayam where it still exists to this date. The Mor Sabor church at Akaparambu and the Martha Mariam Church attached to the seminary were destroyed as well. Tippu’s army set fire to the church at Palayoor and attacked the Ollur Church in 1790. Furthernmore, the Arthat church and the Ambazhakkad seminary was also destroyed. Over the course of this invasion, many Syrian Malabar Nasrani were killed or forcibly converted to Islam. Most of the coconut, arecanut, pepper and cashew plantations held by the Syrian Malabar farmers were also indiscriminately destroyed by the invading army. As a result, when Tippu's army invaded Guruvayur and adjacent areas, the Syrian Christian community fled Calicut and small towns like Arthat to to new centres like Kunnamkulam, Chalakudi, Ennakadu, Cheppadu, Kannankode, Mavelikkara, etc. where there were already Christians. They were given refuge by Sakthan Tamburan, the ruler of Cochin and Karthika Thirunal, the ruler of Travancore, who gave them lands, plantations and encouraged their businesses.
Forced conversion of nasranis by rome.
From the "Land of Perumals" by Francis Dey, page 221:-
"..it was found impossible to convert the St.Thomas christians(nasranis) by religious exhortations or speeches(1537).
It was understood that only force or tactic could work. It was decided to use force and their "metran"(bishop) was arrested and taken to Portugal"
The "Indian" Empire by William Wilson Hunter , page 242 (also quoted in Nestorian Missonary Enterprise, page 125):
"Inorder to convert the Nasranis into the Roman Church, the Portuguese influenced the local rulers. The assets and land of Nasranis were confiscated and they were persecuted in other ways"
Brave resistance by the Malankara Nasranis!
From the book "History of the Church of Malabar", p 44,46:
"Jesuits had to flee with their lives from places like Angamaly and Kadathuruthy. When they found out that the Nasranis were in rage, they feared to venture into these areas.
During prayer inside the church, one of the students of the Vypincotta(chenthamangalam) Jesuit seminary uttered the name of the roman pope instead of the Syriac Patriarch.
He was given a beating by the nasrani priests and send out of the church. And the boy's father was given the advice that "until his sickness of remembering the pope ends, give him a sound beating".
D' Orsey B.D., Knight Commander of the Portuguese Order of Christ, tells us in his book-("Portuguese Discoveries, Dependencies, and Missions in Asia and Africa, P.190)how some of the,
"mountain-dwelling St.Thomas Christians forcibly ejected some troublesome Jesuit priests from their Presence; and this action took place some forty Years after the infamous Inquisition had commenced operations!"
"..it was found impossible to convert the St.Thomas christians(nasranis) by religious exhortations or speeches(1537).
It was understood that only force or tactic could work. It was decided to use force and their "metran"(bishop) was arrested and taken to Portugal"
The "Indian" Empire by William Wilson Hunter , page 242 (also quoted in Nestorian Missonary Enterprise, page 125):
"Inorder to convert the Nasranis into the Roman Church, the Portuguese influenced the local rulers. The assets and land of Nasranis were confiscated and they were persecuted in other ways"
Brave resistance by the Malankara Nasranis!
From the book "History of the Church of Malabar", p 44,46:
"Jesuits had to flee with their lives from places like Angamaly and Kadathuruthy. When they found out that the Nasranis were in rage, they feared to venture into these areas.
During prayer inside the church, one of the students of the Vypincotta(chenthamangalam) Jesuit seminary uttered the name of the roman pope instead of the Syriac Patriarch.
He was given a beating by the nasrani priests and send out of the church. And the boy's father was given the advice that "until his sickness of remembering the pope ends, give him a sound beating".
D' Orsey B.D., Knight Commander of the Portuguese Order of Christ, tells us in his book-("Portuguese Discoveries, Dependencies, and Missions in Asia and Africa, P.190)how some of the,
"mountain-dwelling St.Thomas Christians forcibly ejected some troublesome Jesuit priests from their Presence; and this action took place some forty Years after the infamous Inquisition had commenced operations!"
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