CHRISTIANITY AND THE ROLE OF JESUITS IN TAMIL NADU

Christianity started from Jesus Christ and takes its roots from Judaism. It quite amazes me on how Christianity became a worldwide phenomenon which was suppressed by Romans post Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. Ironically the Romans were instrumental in spreading this. God’s plan has his own ways and 2000 years post Jesus, this faith has reached to every nook and corner of the earth. It took lot of sacrifices, study, documenting, apostolic missions and prayers because of which what it is today.

My focus is on how Christianity, specifically Roman Catholicism spread in Tamil Nadu and the main players instrumental in this. Of course Tamil Nadu has the second largest Christian population in India and there is a reason to why it is.

Arrival of St. Thomas

One of Jesus’ 12 disciples, Thomas came to India in the year 52 AD. St. Thomas arrived in Kerala and the first Christians in India were from Kerala. Later he came to Chennai to continue his mission where he was killed by people who were against his teachings. The body is buried in what is today “Santhome Basilica” in Chennai. St. Thomas Christians are the first denomination Christians in India which still thrive in Kerala.

Chennai hosts 3 distinct places in remembrance of St. Thomas:

·   Santhome Basilica – Thomas is buried here and a church was raised over his tomb
·   Little Mount (Saidapet) – Thomas used to preach here at the cave inside hillock
·   St. Thomas Mount – Hill where Thomas hid while he was being chased and was killed
 
Around 3^rd century, East Syriac settlers (predominantly from Persia or modern Iran, Syria, Lebanon) came into India who proclaimed Christianity. Note that Syriac is a language similar to Aramaic which Jesus spoke. Roman Catholicism did not surface until around mid 4^th century after Roman Emperor Constantine made it as an official religion. The earliest Christians in India came directly from the discipleship of St. Thomas or the Eastern Orthodox churches (Greece, Turkey, Syria, Armenia etc.). After the advent of Roman Catholicism, Christian missionaries in India drastically changed & increased its presence.

Jordanus Catalini

Jordanus Catalani, a Dominican priest from the south of France, travelled to India in 1316, and stayed there for the rest of his life. He was the first European to bring Catholic mission in India. He arrived in Surat (Gujarat) in 1320. After his ministry in Gujarat, he reached Quilon (Kollam, Kerala) and selected it as the best centre for his future work. He was appointed a bishop while in Kollam in 1328 and nominated by Pope John XXII. The diocese of Kollam was the first Roman Catholic diocese and the only one in the whole of India.

Jordanus was a great scholar with particular interests in Indian tradition and diversity. He wrote the “Mirabilia Descripta”, considered as a detailed account of India in the fourteenth century by a foreigner. In this work he gave the best account of Indian regions, products, climate, manners, customs, fauna and flora given by any European. This is considered superior even to Marco Polo's writings on India.

Though Jordanus was the first Catholic missionary the mission did not spread much and was confined to places in Kerala. It was only when Portuguese entered India in the late 15^th century and 16^th century which witnessed a phenomenal growth in Catholicism.

Arrival of Portuguese into India

The Portuguese found new trade opportunities (spices, pearl etc.) in India, specifically Goa, Cochin and later coastal Tamil Nadu. Along with pioneer Portuguese long-distance maritime travellers that reached the Malabar Coast in the late 15th century, came Portuguese missionaries who made contact with the St. Thomas Christians in Kerala. At that time most Christians in Kerala were following Orthodox practices and under the jurisdiction of Church of the East (Orthodox Church). Catholics were very sparse during this time. The missionaries sought to introduce the Latin liturgical rites (Roman Catholic Church) among them and unify East Syriac Christians in India under the Pope.

The missionaries of the different orders (Franciscans, Dominicans, Jesuits etc.) flocked out with the conquerors, and began at once to build churches along the coastal districts where the Portuguese power made itself felt. Among the different congregations who spread Catholicism, Jesuit missionaries played a significant role around the world. Under the founder St. Ignatius of Loyola’s instructions the evangelisation in India took up great momentum.

As trade flourished with Portuguese, Christianity also grew in India. The Portuguese government supported the propagation of Roman Catholicism around their settlements in India. Missionaries used to arrive in Goa later travel down to Cochin from where they entered coastal Tamil Nadu. The Christian population was very miniscule in India even though Jesus’ disciple Thomas came in. Post 1500 AD the numbers started growing especially in Goa Mumbai, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Catholicism in Tamil Nadu and the role of Jesuits

Tamil Nadu has the second highest Christian population in India after Kerala. Though a minority, it constitutes more than 6% of the entire population of Tamil Nadu. Among the Christians, more than 60% follow Roman Catholic Latin Rites. The spread of Catholicism from the coastal regions to the interior Tamil Nadu has been inspiring.

Mass conversion to Christianity of coastal people in Tamil Nadu took place in the 1530’s. During these times the Moors (Arabs) settled in Kayalpattinam (a coastal village near Tuticorin) took undue advantage of the fishermen from Kanyakumari to Rameswaram who thrived on fishing and pearl harvesting. In order to bring the Moors under control fishermen from these villages joined hands and met the Portuguese high command stationed in Cochin. The Portuguese offered to fight against the Moors and take control of the coastal Tamil Nadu. The residents accepted this proposal and also agreed to accept Christianity (Catholicism).

Though there were several thousands who accepted Christianity they did not have any clear guidelines nor knew the customs to be followed in churches. It was after St. Francis Xavier’s visit in 1542 that changed the direction of Catholics. Subsequent visit by many Jesuit priests over a span of 200+ years saw Catholicism moving deeper into Tamil Nadu. I am listing down some of the Jesuit priests who have made a significant impact in Tamil Nadu.

1) St. Francis Xavier SJ

     It all started with this Spanish Jesuit Priest who was a colleague of the founder of Society of Jesus congregation, St. Ignatius of Loyola. In 1542, Xavier was commissioned by Ignatius to travel to India. With the support of Portuguese sailors and army he landed at Goa (then capital of Portuguese India). After a brief stay in Goa and baptising many he moved to Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu. He spent more than 3 years in coastal Tamil Nadu preaching by which thousands adopted Roman Catholicism. Though Tamil Nadu had St. Thomas’ burial place in Mylapore (again part of Portuguese India) influence of Christianity was very minimal. It was Xavier who scripted a new path in bringing Christianity to this part of India.

     Today the spread of Roman Catholicism to many towns and villages in coastal Tamil Nadu starting from Kanyakumari till Rameswaram is attributed to Xavier’s mission. This was the first major step in the spread of Christianity in Tamil Nadu. People from regions such as Kanyakumari, Nagercoil, Tuticorin, Uvari, Manappad, Vembar, Ramanathapuram etc. adopted Catholicism which is evident with their beautiful and large churches along the coastline.

      Spending 3 years in coastal Tamil Nadu, Francis Xavier was instrumental in spreading Catholicism as well as helped build several churches. His preaching and miracles that were performed with the locals was accepted in Vatican and in 1622 he was venerated as Saint. St. Francis Xavier is revered today in all the churches in this 300 km coastline.

      After his mission in India (Goa & Tamil Nadu), Xavier moved to China and later Japan. He died due to sickness in China in the year 1552. His uncorrupted body still lies in Goa’s “Basilica of Born Jesus” church. Today St. Xavier’s college in several places in India (Mumbai, Calcutta, Tirunelveli and many) are a reminder of the wonderful work carried out by this Jesuit priest. Christianity today remembers St. Francis Xavier’s work as a great missionary second only to St. Paul (apostle) who influenced many countries during first century.

    2) Fr. Antonie Criminalie SJ

Fr. Criminalie as he is fondly called was an Italian Jesuit priest. He came to Tamil Nadu in the year 1544 under the supervision of Francis Xavier. He started his mission in Kanyakumari and later covered all coastal villages until he reached Vedhalai near Rameswaram. Considering his good work Francis Xavier appointed him superior over other priests during those times in the coastal areas.

His work for around 4 years in Tamil Nadu has been highly regarded. Francis Xavier was clearly impressed with Criminalie and had written about his good work to Ignatius in Europe. As a superior, Fr. Criminalie gave instructions to other priests on running the mission and was a capable leader. Criminalie settled down in Vedhalai near Rameswaram and continued his mission. 

During this time Portuguese soldiers were stationed at Vedhalai captained by Correa. Vedhalai acted as a check post for Portuguese to keep watch over the ship movement in the Gulf of Mannar. Correa had a feud with the local Hindus there which escalated into a big violence. The Hindus were not just against the Portuguese soldiers but also the local Christians around that place. Fr. Criminalie tried to de-escalate the violence but to no avail. Captain Correa asked Fr. Criminalie to escape with them out of Rameswaram to which Criminalie refused. Criminalie insisted on protecting the people of Vedhalai.

In 1549 the resulting battle took many lives and Fr. Criminalie who was trying to help was stuck by a spear. The spear plunged into his chest killing him instantly. He was only 29 at this time. Fr. Criminalie is the first Jesuit to be martyred in India and also the second Christian martyr in India after St. Thomas in Chennai.

3) Fr. Henrique Henriques SJ (1520 – 1600)

Henriques was a Portuguese Jesuit priest and missionary who spent most of his life in missionary activities in Tamil Nadu. Following the footsteps of his predecessors Fr Xavier and Fr. Criminalie, Fr. Henriques arrived in Goa and in 1557 subsequently moved to coastal Tamil Nadu (Tuticorin).

He mastered Tamil and is considered to be the first European Tamil scholar. He believed that books of religious doctrines should be in the local language which in his case was Tamil. His interest in Tamil language made Tamil the first non-European language to be printed as a book. Apart from being the first to produce a Tamil - Portuguese Dictionary, he set up the first Tamil press and printed books in Tamil script. The printing technology was until then limited to Europe which was brought to India.

The first such book printed in Tamil script was “Thambiran Vanakkam” in 1578, a 16-page translation of the Portuguese "Doctrina Christam", printed at Kollam (Kerala). He is sometimes called The Father of the Tamil Press.  It was followed by “Kirisithiyaani Vanakkam” in 1579. These were works of catechism, containing the basic prayers of Catholicism. His mission spread Catholicism to many of the coastal villages in Tamil Nadu.

Fr. Henriques died in 1600 in Tuticorin. His body is cremated within the famous Snows Basilica in Tuticorin.

4) Fr. Roberto De Nobili SJ

De Nobili was born to an Italian noble family. He became a Jesuit priest, and was sent to India. Similar to previous Jesuit priests he too landed in Goa in 1605. After a short stay in Cochin he moved to Madurai in Tamil Nadu in 1606. De Nobili did not arrive at Coastal Tamil Nadu and instead moved to interior regions and chose Madurai. His mission was spread in and around Madurai.

 Fr. De Nobili’s mannerism was very unique compared to other missionaries. He not just mastered Tamil but also learnt Sanskrit. He studied Hindu Vedas and quickly adopted some of the Hindu practices. He bathed often, wore a sanyasi dress (saffron dress), quit eating non-vegetarian and carried a stick and jug like Hindu hermits. He spread Catholicism around Madurai and holds a unique place in Tamil Nadu due to his Tamil affluence.

 De Nobili spent the rest of his life living as an ascetic in the manner of the Hindu holy men. Nobili was the head of the Madurai mission which would later bring in many Jesuit priests and play a significant role in spreading Christianity in Tamil Nadu. Fr. Roberto De Nobili died in Mylapore, Chennai in the year 1656.

      5) Baltasar da Costa SJ

Born in 1610 in Aldeia Nova, Portugal, Costa entered the Society of Jesus on 20 June 1627, in Lisbon. After studying Latin and Philosophy in Coimbra, he sailed for Goa on 13 April 1635. After Goa his destination was obviously Tamil Nadu. Costa first landed in coastal Tamil Nadu along the lines of St. Francis Xavier. Records indicate he was the priest of villages such as Vembar near Tuticorin. He received the call from Madurai mission headquartered at Madurai.

Costa eventually moved to Madurai working under the guidance of Roberto De Nobili. On July 4, 1640, Costa left for Karur (interior Tamil Nadu) from Madurai, where his superiors asked him to carry on the mission. Baltasar’s mission was slightly different from Nobili's teaching and he wanted Christianity to enter into all segments irrespective of caste. He was not concerned with the upper or lower castes rather focused on spreading Christ’s good news to everyone. He too picked up the sanyasi dress but was different from Nobili as he took up the dress of Pantaram (Saiva priest). He learnt Tamil in fact became a scholar, followed Tamil practices and lived a simple life depicting a hermit.

Costa's mission gains significance due to the presence of Nayaka rulers in interior Tamil Nadu during that time. They were directly reporting to the Vijayanagara empire in present Karnataka. Costa shattered all bounds of caste in his mission. Costa's mission is highly regarded as being very complicated due to his reach into interiors of Tamil Nadu when caste really mattered. 

Being a Tamil scholar Costa wrote a grammar book of the Tamil language, which is preserved in Central Library, Panjim (Goa). Costa’s role ended when he died during a voyage back to India in 1673 as the head of a new group of missionaries destined for Madurai.

6) St. John De Britto SJ (Arulanandhar)

John De Britto was born in Lisbon, Portugal in an aristocratic family. He joined the Jesuits in 1662 AD and became a priest the same year. He was sent to India as a missionary and landed in Madurai, Tamil Nadu in 1673. His work greatly influenced regions beyond Madurai especially Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga and Madurai.

Fr. Britto learnt Tamil and similar to Nobili he too wore a saffron dress portraying as a Hindu Sanyasi. He abstained from non-vegetarian food and alcohol. He renamed himself “Arulanandhar”, a Tamil name. Around 1684 he was imprisoned by the local rulers who were not happy with his mission. He was later released and sent back to Portugal in 1687. Despite the problems in India he insisted on returning to the same land. His request was granted and Britto was back in Madurai in 1690.

One of the local prince started believing in Fr. Britto and developed a great faith in Jesus Christ. Since the prince had several wives he was instructed by Britto to forego all but one. The prince took a tough decision and dismissed all and retained only one. Among the dismissed wives, one of them was a niece to the local king of Ramnad (Ramanathapuram) Sethupathi. Sethupathi got outrageous because of this prince’s decision. In 1693 the king got Fr. Britto arrested and took him for execution to Oriyur (60 kms from Ramnad). At Oriyur he was beheaded and killed thus becoming the third Christian martyr of India (after St. Thomas & Antonie Criminalie).

Today Oriyur has a big church in remembrance of St. John De Britto (a famous landmark). An important observation is that the sand at the place where Fr. Britto was beheaded has turned red since that day. Even today it is still red in color and there are numerous testimonies proving this sand to be miraculous which has cured many diseases. Fr. John De Britto was venerated as a saint by Vatican in the year 1947.

 

7) Fr. Constantine Beschi SJ (Veeramamunivar)

One of the famous Jesuit in Tamil Nadu is Fr. Beschi. An Italian by birth Fr. Beschi became a Jesuit priest in 1698. He too was asked to go to India and took the contemporary route which his predecessors took. Fr. Beschi reached Goa from Portugal and immediately came to Madurai, Tamil Nadu in 1711.

Similar to St. Britto and Fr. Nobili he embraced saffron sanyasi dress. He learnt Tamil and was so inclined towards this language that he converted the Tirukural into Latin. His literary work in Tamil has brought him a great fame among the Tamil scholars. Due to his attire and expertise in Tamil he is mentioned as Veeramamunivar (Great Saint). Tamil Nadu government recognises his contribution to Tamil literature and a statue is erected at the famous Marina Beach in Chennai.

Fr. Beschi’s mission was spread across many places in Tamil Nadu. He travelled to many places such as Madurai, Thanjavur, Ramanathapuram, Tirunelveli, Tiruchirapalli, Tuticorin and many more. He was influential with his simple life style and taught about Jesus to all people irrespective of the caste in Tamil Nadu. He has been instrumental in setting up some of the famous Catholic churches which are present today in Tamil Nadu. Some of the churches which are now pilgrim centres are:

 · Poondi Madha Basilica, Thanjavur
· Vyagula Madha church, Thanjavur
· Periyanayagi Madha Shrine, Konankuppam (near Ulundurpet)
· Adaikala Madha Shrine, Elakurichi, Thiruvaiyaru

Apart from the churches he also became very famous Jesuit priest in Tamil Nadu for his Tamil literary work. Some of the notable works are:

  ü Translating Tirukural into Latin – This was an eye opener for Europeans who were mesmerised by the poet Valluvar and also the language Tamil
ü  Translation of Tamil literatures Devaram, Thirupugazh, Nanool and Aathichoodi
ü  He wrote a grammar rule book for the common use of Tamil
ü Most famous of his Tamil literature has been “Thembavani” which is a collection of tamil poems

Fr. Beschi’s contribution for Catholicism in Tamil Nadu and also the Tamil literature has been immense. Even today the famous churches talks volumes about his contribution. Most of the interior Tamil Nadu witnessed growth of Catholicism due to Fr. Beschi. He died in the year 1746 in Tamil Nadu after spending more than 30 long years in India.

  

CONCLUSION:

The penetration of Roman Catholicism into such a big state as Tamil Nadu is truly marvelous. All this was possible due to the efforts of many missionaries and catholic scholars from Europe. In particular the role of Jesuits is very significant. These Jesuits can be equated to the great explorers such as Vasco Da Gama, Christopher Columbus, Marco Polo and many. It’s hard to imagine the long and turbulent journey which they took through the seas for weeks and months together.

As an alumnus of the prestigious Loyola College Chennai, I am happy to have presented the contribution of Jesuits in Tamil Nadu. Jesuits did not only spread Catholicism but were instrumental in setting up several premier educational institutions in Tamil Nadu and rest of India. Loyola College, Chennai, St. Joseph’s college, Trichy, St. Xavier’s college, Tirunelveli, Arulanandhar college, Madurai are some of the pioneering institutions in the state. 

Of course there are many other players who have played their role in bringing Christianity to Tamil Nadu. Apart from Jesuits there have been missionaries from other congregations. I have just picked up some of the important ones following the European mission. Roman Catholicism in India came through missionaries from Portugal, France, Spain and Italy. Protestantism came to India by many from Germany, Netherlands (Dutch) and England who had already converted as Protestants after Martin Luther.

Altogether Christianity has had an interesting journey within India in the last 2000 years. Thank you, God Bless Everyone.

 -- ANTON NIRESH

St. Peter and Paul's Church, Alanthalai, Tamilnadu

St. Peter and Pauls’ Church is located in a coastal village called Alanthalai (4 kms by Road from Tiruchendur towards Kanyakumari).The nearest town is the pearl city "Tuticorin" (Around 40 kms away).

Alanthalai is one of the ancient villages in the pearl fishery coast. Villages stretching from Kanyakumari to Vembar were frequented by Portuguese during 16th century resulting in the spread of Christianity. St. Francis Xavier (Spanish Jesuit priest) had significant role in visiting these villages in coastal Tamilnadu and spreading Christianity.

History of the Church

When St. Francis Xavier visited Alanthalai, he constructed a thatched church somewhere around 1545. This church was later renovated during 1558 by Jesuit  priest Fr. Henriques. This church was named after St. Peter, thereby calling St. Peter's church. Note that the renaming of this church to "St. Peter & Paul's" happened at a very later point in time.

Full View

In 1644 the parish priest of St. Peter's church planned and started to build a bigger church. But owing to several reasons the construction of the church was halted. Later in 1712 Fr. Chansess completed the construction of a larger St.Peter’s church.

Churches in Alanthalai and surrounding coastal villages were in the hands of Jesuit Priests till 1774. Later Pope Clement XIV de-recognised the role of the Jesuits and the administration of this Parish went to Goan Priests till 1838. The Jesuits took over the parish again when the order of Jesuits was restored by Pope Gregory XVI in 1832. Owing to shortage of Priests the Alanthalai Parish was functioning as a substation of Virapandianpatanam parish (refer to earlier article on Virapandianpatanam church) from 1800 to 1894.

Foundation for the present church was laid by the Bishop of Tuticorin G.F.T.Roche S.J. in presence of the parish priest Fr. Ambrose Missier on the 29th of June 1929. Later this work was taken up by Fr. Soosainathar who along with the help of local villagers and the businessmen of Alanthalai in Colombo built the church which is in place currently. In 1938 this church was consecrated by bishop Roche and named “St. Peter & St. Paul's” church.

The tower measuring 140 feet in height and the Eucharistic Tabernacle inside the church are some of the main attractions of the church. The additional beauty of the church is to be found in the roof of the church over the tabernacle where the figures of the four apostles who wrote the Gospel – Mathew, Mark, Luke and John are depicted.

Depiction of all 4 who gave the Gospel (Mathew, Mark, Luke & John)

The feast of St. Peter and St. Paul is observed on June 29th every year.

Church's centre

History of the Grotto (Keby in Tamil) of Sacred Heart

The early 20th century saw dissension in the village and it led to a few leaving the Catholic church. When the dissension took place in 1920 the parish priest Rev. Fr. Ambrose Missier spread and inculcated the "Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus" with the installation of His holy picture. Many of the villagers who deserted Catholicism retraced their path and rejoined the Catholic church.

Meanwhile Tuticorin was elevated to the status of Diocese in 1923 with Bishop G.F.T.Roche S.J. in charge of the diocese. When the Bishop was heading to Manapad from Tuticorin, the villagers of Alanthalai gave a warm reception to him. Nevertheless a few who still did not rejoin the Catholic church stood away from the faithful. Seeing them the Bishop proclaimed:

“I also pray for my brothers who are standing away from here so that the blessings of Almighty God may continue to increase on them also”.

This sincere prayer of the Bishop melted the hearts of those who stood away from the receiving crowd and they also returned to the Catholic church. In 1926 as a recognition of this peace that had dawned in the village, Fr. Ambrose Missier vowed to build a grotto (Keby) depicting the scene of “Jesus Christ appearing to Mary Magdalene”. The foundation stone was laid in 1926 by Fr.Missier. An artist from Manapad painted the scene of Jesus Christ appearing to Mary Magdalene and a sculptor from Idaikattur Mr. Manuel Pillai carved the Grotto. On 30th June, 1928 the bishop blessed the Grotto.

The feast of this Grotto is observed during the last Friday of August every year.

Grotto of Sacred Heart

St. Thomas Church, Virapandianpatanam,

Virapandianpatanam, Tuticorin District, Tamilnadu

Virapandianpatanam nicknamed "Pattanam" among coastal areas is a small town located near Tiruchendur en route to Tuticorin (2.5 kms from Tiruchendur). Virapandianpatanam along with other coastal areas such as Vembar, Tuticorin, Alanthalai until Kanyakumari were rich in Pearl business during the 16th century. 

Due to largescale Pearl business the Arabs moved in these places and took over the entire pearl business under them which directly impacted all local fishermen in these coastal villages. The Arabs made Kayalpattinam (a nearby village) as their mainstay and harbour for them to flourish in their business. 

During early 1500's when Arabs were dominating these coastal regions the local fishermen in all these villages decided to seek help from the Portuguese. Portuguese were based in Goa and Cochin during this time. A group of fishermen met the Portuguese soldiers in Cochin (Kerala) and highlighted their situation. The Portuguese agreed to assist these coastal fishermen so that they can continue with their livelihood.

In 1534 the Portuguese sent a large contingent under the leadership of "Antonio De Silva" by sea towards the coastal regions in Tamilnadu. They had a battle with the Arabs at Keelakarai wherein Arabs lost and the entire Pearl region began to be controlled by the Portuguese.

History of St. Thomas Church

In 1544 St. Francis Xavier (Jesuit priest) who was instrumental in getting Christianity to Tamilnadu came to these coastal regions and started spreading Christianity. In 1549 St. Francis Xavier appointed Jesuit priest Enriques as the head priest for the Pearl region. He planned to build churches across the region. During 1549 a small church was built in Virapandianpatanam with the help of the locals and dedicated it to St. Thomas (in remembrance of Christ's disciple Thomas). 

After nearly a century in 1640 this church was refurbished and expanded. In 1658 the Dutch won a fight with the Portuguese along the Pearl region and took control of this church along with several churches. Since Dutch were Protestant christians they started ignoring these Catholic churches and used them as a storage place for arms and ammunitions. 

After the Dutch left and several years of ignorance in 1882 Fr. Emmanuel Pereira became the Parish priest of this Church in Virapandianpatanam. The rule of British prevailed during these times and they gave a free hand for Catholics to continue their services. Since this church was partially destroyed by the Dutch. Fr. Emmanuel wanted to re-build this church. Strong pillars were raised to support a bigger church, with the support of the pillars the inner church was segregated into 3 phases. Approximately the size of each pillar was 180 ft long and 55 ft broad. 

On 15th August 1886 the renovated church was blessed and opened at a Grand ceremony. It was in 1909 when the church's large twin bell house was built. In 2011 this church commemorated its 125th year celebrations. This church looks magnificient from the outside as well as the inside.

There is a Reasearch Facility attached to this church wherein the library consists of several historical books. Many scholars studying the coastal regions of India and arrival of Christianity in India make use of this library which is named as "Valampurinatham". This church has a distinction of being visited by Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.

Enayam Port, Kanyakumari District

New Seaport development is a significant activity towards India’s economic development. Tamilnadu has 3 ports viz. Chennai Port, Ennore Port & Tuticorin Port. Recently a fourth seaport has been proposed at Enayam, Colachel in Kanyakumari District. Central government has given a go ahead to the Enayam International Seaport. This port will act as the southern trans-shipment gateway. The estimated cost for this project is Rs 28000 crore. 500 acres of land will be reclaimed from the sea.

What is “Sagar Mala” project ?

“Sagar Mala” project is a strategic and customer-oriented initiative of the Government of India to modernize India’s Ports so that port-led development can be augmented and coastlines can be developed to contribute towards India’s growth. It looks towards transforming the existing Ports into modern world class Ports and integrate the development of the Ports, the Industrial clusters and hinterland and efficient evacuation systems through road, rail, inland and coastal waterways resulting in Ports becoming the drivers of economic activity in coastal areas.

“Sagar Mala” is an initiative similar to the “Golden Quadrilateral” project that started during the Vajpayee government focusing on connecting the highways.

Where is Enayam ?

Colachel is a beautiful town in Kanyakumari District which has a population of around 50000. History notes that Vasco Da Gama had reached here after landing at Goa. Before the state reorganization in 1956, it was part of the Travancore state. Post 1956 this became a part of Tamilnadu. Colachel is located at a distance of 40 kms from Kanyakumari and 20 kms from Nagercoil. Enayam where the proposed harbor will be built is 11 kms from Colachel.

What is Transshipment Harbour ?

Currently Colombo port is the major transshipment port for goods to be delivered to southern states of India. Colombo port accounts for one fourth of India’s total transshipment. What does this mean?

Mother ships (heavy cargo carriers) carrying unimaginable load of cargo to various places of the world cannot be docked in our existing ports. Colombo port has the capability to berth these mother ships (journeying around Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal) and unload cargos. These cargos destined to reach India will be shipped through smaller ships which reach to the ports in India. Transshipment harbor is similar to Transit Airport wherein you switch to another flight helping you reach to your destination.

Colombo receives most of the revenue as transshipment fees which India is losing out. Forming a natural harbor at Enayam will bring in mother ships here rather than moving to Colombo, thereby bringing revenue to India than Sri Lanka.

Disadvantages of Enayam Port

Above mentioned points sounds very exciting that will bring in a world class harbour in Tamilnadu. Another prospect seems to be bringing in a lot of jobs around this district. But this rosy picture is not the actual fact. Enayam harbour will bring in lots of destructions when compared to the benefits that we have looked so far. Long term thinking needs to be in place while considering these ports. Let’s look at the drawbacks:

Vallarpadam Port, Cochin

A container trans-shipment facility in Vallarpadam, Cochin was commissioned in 2011. This facility is a part of the Cochin Port and the construction started in 2005. This was India’s first International Container Transshipment Terminal and has the capability to handle 1 million Twenty Foot Equivalent units (TEUs). A report says that during the financial year 2014-15 only 17000 TEUs was handled at Vallarpadam which is very paltry considering it’s capacity. A TEU is the standard size of a container and a common measure of capacity in the container business. Obvioulsy this port has been making losses and is not being utilized to it’s capacity. Vessels prefer Colombo than Vallarpadam.

Colombo is way ahead of Vallarpadam in terms of capacity, pricing and productivity. Large ships prefer Colombo over Vallarpadam. Of course there are lot many bureaucratic and admininistrative reasons behind the losses at Vallarpadam. My idea is not to focus on Vallarpadam’s loss but to check the feasibility of Enayam port in this situation. After all Vallarpadam is located just 270 kms away from Enayam.

Vizhinjam Port, Trivandrum

Adding to Vallarpadam, another trans-shipment port is being built at Vizhinjam in Trivandrum. This port is coming up at a distance of 50 kms from Enayam. The project is an initiative by the Kerala government and has been awarded to “Adani Ports and SEZ” in 2015. Construction began in December 2015 and is expected to be completed in 2019. With Vallarpadam in loss and Vizhinjam coming up with a new port just 50 kms away from Enayam, we wonder why another port is required at Enayam.

Re-claiming space from sea

Enayam port is fully funded by the Government of India. Enayam does not have land space for development of a port. This means that land will be reclaimed from sea for more than 500 acres. Many ports take space from land rather than sea thereby not impacting the ocean reserves in a significant way. Reclaiming land from sea will destroy the fragile ecosystem and fishes. Fishing which is the primary livelihood for many around these areas will be impacted severely.

Around 40 villages around Enayam will be impacted in a significant way. If the land is claimed at shore the impact to nature in sea would have been limited. Now that 500+ acres inside sea will be claimed, the impact would be very severe.

Movement of Goods

If a port does come in Enayam the movement of cargos from here to various parts of Tamilnadu and other areas would require heavy infrastructure. Roads, bridges, container vehicles all seems to be a good prospect, but at a heavy cost. The area beyond Kanyakumari till Kerala is one of the beautiful places to visit in Tamilnadu. Places such as Muttom, Rajakkamangalam, Colachel etc. keep the pristine glory of nature intact. Heavy development also leads to the destruction of nature.

Will it benefit India economically?

With nearby ports at Vallarpadam (Cochin) & Vizhinjam (Trivandrum) will Enayam be able to make profits? This remains as a million dollar question. Moreover a port at Enayam will also have a negative impact on our long standing Tuticorin harbour. Cargo movement to Tuticorin Port will come down drastically. Making good use of Tuticorin Port seems to be a better proposal than one coming up at Enayam.

Protests against the port

September 18th 2016 saw hundreds of fishermen and their family members staging a protest against the proposed port. The fishermen expressed fear of severe sea erosion, which could affect their livelihood, if the port, proposed to be established on over 500 acres of sea area. The project would displace over 50,000 fishermen families.

The protest, spearheaded by Peoples’ Movement Against Enayam International Container Transshipment Terminal (PMAEICTT), saw the participation of women and children belonging to the fishermen community. PMAEICTT had been opposing the project for the last one year and had staged various agitations, including a mammoth human chain at Kodimunai seashore in August 2016.

Environmental destruction

Reclaiming 500 acres of land in sea is no mean task. This implies that huge stones / rocks will have to be filled in sea to establish the area. To get a surface of 500 acres at least 3000 acres of sea below the surface should be filled with stones. Just imagine how the rocks will be sourced from, will a mountain be destroyed to get these stones? Is it worth losing hills in Western Ghats to build this harbour?

Not just mountains but also the corals & different varieties of sea bodies will be destroyed because of this port. Am I wrong in stating that “India does not require another major port for trans-shipment at Enayam but it requires minor ports with good connectivity for cargo movement? Let’s think…

Sacred Hearts Cathedral, Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu

Apart from Tuticorin's famous Snows church (covered in my earlier blog), I’d like to highligh another prominent church in Tuticorin, "Sacred Hearts Cathedral".

Sacred Hearts cathedral is not related to St. Francis Xavier or the Portuguese architecture of the early 16th century. This church was built long after the Snows church in Tuticorin and this has a “French connection”. This cathedral acts as the Tuticorin diocese headquarters, having the Tuticorin Bishop’s residence. Most of the coastal villages surrounding Tuticorin (Vembar, Alanthalai, Vaipar, Veerapandiapatinam, Manappad etc.) fall under Tuticorin diocese. Let’s look at the history and finer details of this beautiful church:

Why is it called "Chinna Koil”?

Till independence there were only 2 parishes that existed in Tuticorin – “Our Lady of Snows” and “Sacred Hearts”. Sacred Hearts cathedral is much bigger than Our Lady of Snows Basilica, but ironically this church is called as the "Chinna Koil" (meaning small church in Tamil). Snows church is called as the "Periya Koil" (big church in Tamil). The naming came because Snows was built much ahead of Sacred Hearts and it received a wider recognition from the people. In order to distinguish between these 2 popular churches people started calling the earlier one (Snows church) as big church and the latter one (Sacred Hearts) as small church. In no way this term depicts the size of the churches.

Though Tuticorin town has several churches, Snows church and Sacred Hearts church are the 2 most famous. We should note that the first church is elevated to the status of “Basilica” and the second to the status of “Cathedral” by Roman Catholicism.

On 12th June 1923 when Tuticorin diocese was created, Sacred Hearts church was elevated to the status of "Cathedral". This church became the headquarters for Tuticorin diocese and in 1923 Rev. Roche became the first Bishop for this diocese. Subsequently Sacred Hearts cathedral was established as the Bishop House of the diocese.

History of the church

Goa Mission vs. French Mission

Going back to the early 16th century when Christianity spread in India there were only 4 dioceses in India. These dioceses were under the direct control of Portuguese kingdom. The Portuguese king with Pope's permission had established these 4 dioceses in India. These 4 were Goa (Headquarters), Cochin (Kerala), Cranganore (Kerala) and Mylapore (Tamil Nadu). The coastal villages which I’m referring in Tamil Nadu came under the diocese of Cochin.

In 1658 Dutch had conquered Tuticorin and other villages by defeating the Portuguese. Years passed and all the churches in and around this area were governed by Jesuit (Society of Jesus) priests. On July 21 1773 Pope Clement XIV "de-recognised" or "suppressed" the Society of Jesus. The Jesuits took over again after the "Society of Jesus" was restored by Pope Pius VII on 7^th August 1814. On the 8th of July 1836, Pope Gregory XVI made Madurai an Apostolic Province. Madurai became the centre of Christianity in Tamil Nadu and was handed over to Jesuit priests from France. Pearl fishery coast (all coastal villages from Vembar to Kanyakumari) came under this new province and was entrusted to the Jesuit Missionaries of Toulouse Province in France. So this was also called as the "French Mission".

The French mission tried to get back all the parishes that were under the influence of Goan priests (Portuguese supported) which caused riots and confusion. Portuguese influence never left coastal towns and villages of Tamil Nadu. Two factions namely “Goa Mission” (Padroado priests) and “French Mission” (Jesuit priests) prevailed during that time. The fight between the priests of Portuguese mission and French mission grew to a fight between two nations, Portugal and France. In view of solving this problem, Pope Leo XIII in 1886, made a concordat (agreement) with the Portugal government, and put the dioceses of Goa and Mylapore under Padroado. At the same time Tiruchirapalli (Tamil Nadu) was declared a separate diocese and the Pearl Fishery Coast came under this. 

Church’s construction

In 1839 when Tuticorin was controlled by Madurai mission (Jesuits from France) the local villagers supported the establishment of Goa Mission (Portuguese mission). For this the head of villages ousted the Jesuit priest Fr. Martin from Our Lady of Snows and handed it to the Goa mission. Since Jesuit priests in Madurai mission lost control over the snows church they wanted to construct a separate church in Tuticorin. After waiting for nearly 9 years the Jesuit priests in Madurai decided to construct a church in Tuticorin. The construction of Chinna Koil started in 1848 under the supervision of Jesuit priests from Madurai.

The construction began in 1848 by Fr. Piccinelli and a small church was blessed open on January 5th of 1849. Rev. Fr. Kanos who was the bishop of Madurai Apostolic Province blessed the new church. Construction of a bigger church was going on simultaneously around this small church which was completed after 15 years in 1864.

After 45 years in 1909 the church's side wings were extended. The towers which we see in the front were built in 1948 and were considered to be a great achievement during those times. Limestone was used to build these towers which were churned by the bulls during those times. Today this church stands as one of the finest French architectural church in India.

Tamil Nadu has several churches which need to be visited. Portuguese and French have imprinted their beautiful architecture. By looking at some of the old churches we can distinguish if it follows the French or Portuguese architecture.

Why "Sacred Hearts”?

In 1849 when this church's construction was completed it was dedicated to the sacred hearts of both Jesus and mother Mary. Hence this church is called as "Sacred Hearts" rather than "Sacred Heart" church which we usually come across. 

Tuticorin Diocese

Separated from the diocese of Tiruchirapalli, Tuticorin was created as a diocese and entrusted to the diocesan clergy in 1923. St. Francis Xavier and St. Theresa of Child Jesus were held as the patron saints of the diocese. On April 4, 1930 the five parishes of Kooduthalai, Manapad (Holy Ghost Church), Punnaikayal, Tuticorin (Our Lady of Snows Church) and Vaippar were amalgamated into the diocese.

Today Tuticorin, Vallioor, Kallikulam, Uvari, Manapad, Alanthalai, Vadakankulam, Idinthakarai, Kootapuli, Vembar, Virapandiapatinam etc. fall in the Tuticorin diocese. 

Grottos in the parish

There are 4 Grottos ("Keby") in this church's premise, they are:

•  Our Lady of Lourdes
•  St. Joseph
•  St. Theresa
•  St. Francis Xavier

Special features of the church

•  Inner wooden architecture and paintings in stained glasses reflect the French architecture.
• There is a statue of Jesus Christ in the cross wherein one of his hands embraces St. Francis of Assisi.
• Finest wooden crafts, not just in the altar but everywhere around the church.
• The Eucharistic tabernacle is designed as a Pearl, symbolizing Pearly city Tuticorin.
• The inside of central dome has paintings depicting Jesus Christ, Mother Mary, Angels etc.

When you get time kindly visit these churches around coastal Tamilnadu. Each church has it's own architectural speciality..