Niranam St.Marys church website
Mistake in the Antique section
“There is a stone with undeciphered letters carved on it. The date
of the stone and the meaning of the inscription have not been determined.”
This is a sentence in your website on Antiques of Niranam
church. Let me first congratulate you on maintaining a website of the St. Mary’s
Orthodox Church and its activities for the benefit of the younger generation
and posterity.
Your statement that the date of the stone and the meaning
of inscription have not been determined is regretted.
I am giving its photograph below.
I personally took it to the Kerala University Manuscript
Library at Kariyavattam and got it translated. They also conferred the
translation given by Mr.T.K.Joseph and Chitramezhuthu K.M.Varghese. You too can
take it to anyone who can decipher such old inscriptions.
I am reproducing the relevant pages of the “Kanianthra
Family History” book page 55-57 published in 2001 in English. This is an
abridged version of the Malayalam edition also written by me in 1991. I have
taken the material from a still earlier Malayalam edition
(1965) of the same book authored by late Mr. K.J.Ninan, a
contemporary of Mr.T.K.Joseph, the Chief
Archaeologist, Government of Kerala, and Mr.Chitrmezhuthu K.M.Varghese,
renowned authorities in deciphering old inscriptions in different forms .
This particular writing is in vattezuth and pertains to the
16th century. It is not 92 AD as claimed by G.T.Macknzie in his book
"Christianity in Travancore"
The following is the reproduction of the relevant pages of
the above Book “KANIANTHRA FAMILY HISTORY” maintained in CD. (1)
“THOMMEN CHANDY 1507 — 1567 AD.
Chronological calculations show that this
Valiappen was the son or grandson of Thommen Valiappen; who first settled in
Mepral. This gentleman Thommen Chandy was a rich landlord and a prominent
member of the society. Even though he stayed at Mepral, he invariably attended
the Holy qurbana at Niranam church on every Sunday. He was buried inside the church
and a tomb-stone, with his name and the date of his death inscribed on it was
placed on his tomb. When the Niranam church was rebuilt, this stone slab was
embedded in the wall of the church. But later when the Niranam church was again
rebuilt, during the time of Kanianthra Kizhakaeveettil Ninan Kathanar (2), who
was the parish priest of the church (1866 – 1909) he wanted to put the slab on
the wall. Local members of the church resented it and it was kept in the store
room under the church building. Later they without realising the importance and
the historical value of the stone discarded it even from the store room. They
used it as a corner stone of the boundary line separating the church premises
from the church compound. In later years some members of the Kanianthra family
noticed the stone and realized the importance and value of it. Kovoor Dr. J.
Alexander(4), Pullucatt, Rev. Fr. Alexander Cor episcopa, Puthenparambil Mr.
K.T. Mathew, Pulinthara Shri Mammachen and Mr. K .J. Ninan consulted among themselves
and got a photograph taken of the stone. They showed this photograph to Mr. T.
K. Joseph, who was the chief archeologist in Kerala. He translated the old
Malayalam script of the inscription as “Mepral – Thommen Chandy – 742 year, Medam njayar 9 –
passed away”. Professor Joseph Alexander also showed
the photograph of the stone to the Manuscript Library experts at the (Kerala)
University Archaeological Department. They also ascertained and confirmed that
the date written was Malayalam era 742 year 9th Medam and “not 92nd year”, as
claimed by Dr. G.T. Mckenzie. So, the date should be 1567 AD, Sunday, 9th
Medam (month).
Some of our ancestors realising the
importance of the stone, as a landmark, in their history, wanted to bring the
stone to Mepral. They went with boats and men. But somehow, the Nirvana church
members came to know of it and realizing the historical importance of the stone
took and deposited it again in the storeroom beneath the church building. So
the Kanianthra family members could not retrieve the stone. Dr. G.T. McKenzie,
I.C.S., who was the British resident of Travancore between 1899 - 1904 in his
book “Christianity in Travancore” mentions about this stone. He has written
that Niranam church is one of the oldest churches of Travancore and it was
built on the site of the church established by St.Thomas himself. He went on
saying that in that church, he saw two tomb stone slabs with writings on it. On
one of it was written in old Malayalam – “Mepral Thommen Chandy 92 Medam 9th
sunday passed away”.
This is the tomb stone of our ancestor.
The Malayalam inscription is as follows:-
“Mepral Thommen Chandy 742nd year Medam Njayara
9th Nalla Vazhi Chernnu”.
In English it can be translated as “Mepral
Thommen Chandy died on 742nd year sunday Medom 9th”.
He must have been a rich land lord and
inland trader of spices and prominent member of the society.”
Notes:-
The
Malayalam edition of the “Kanianthra Kudumba Charitram” contains more details.
This book is available with the Kanianthra Pallath Family members of the
Nirvana Parish. Their predecessor Kanianthra Pallath Thommy Chandy Kathanar
(1787-1847) was the chief parish priest of the Niranam St. Marys Orthodox
Church in his time.
1.
Kanianthra Family got converted to Christanity probably in the 10th
Century AD or earlier. Because of the persecution of the Brahmins they migrated
from Idinjillam, their native village, to Niranam in the 10th
century. They remained there till around 1460 AD, when one Valiappan migrated
to Mepral and settled there.
2.
Niranam St. Marys Orthodox Church was the parish church of the
Kanianthra Family even after they migrated to Mepral. The Mepral St. Johns
Church was built only in 1861-1864
3.
Rev. Ninan Kathanar was believed to be the 12th Kanianthra
Family priest of the Niranam St. Mary’s Orthodox Church. He was a monk. My
Father Fr. K.J.Alexander Corepiscopa, (1882-1955), Vicar General of the Niranam
Diocese was believed to be the 13th priest in the Family.
4.
a. Dr. Alexander was a physician. Kanianthra Family History was first
written by him. He started writing it in 1916 when he was studying in England
for his MBBS Degree. It was a brief synopsis completed after extensive research
and first published in 1935
b. Pullucat Rev.Fr.Alexander of the Kanianthra family
was the Parish priest of the Mepral Church
c. Mr. K.T.Mathew IFS, educated in England, was in
Tamil Nadu Government Service
d. Pulinthra Mammachen was a senior member of the
Kanianthra family
e. Mr. K.J. Ninan, author of the second edition
(1965) of the “Kanianthra Kudumba Charitram” was a member of the editorial
board of Malayala Manorama Daily and a member of the Board of Directors of the
Malayala Manorama Company
These persons took the
photograph to Mr.T.K.Joseph and Chitramezhuthu for translation of the
inscription. Later in 1984 I personally took it to the Manuscript Library
of the Kerala University for translation.
This photograph of the
tombstone was taken in the 1940's by these 5 persons
No comments:
Post a Comment