Devasahayam Pillai
Venerable[1] Devasahayam Pillai | |
|---|---|
தேவசகாயம் பிள்ளை | |
| Born | Neela Kanda Pillai April 23, 1712 Nattalam, Kanyakumari District, India |
| Died | January 14, 1752 (aged 39) |
| Resting place | Cathedral of St. Francis Xavier |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Palace Soldier |
| Spouse | Gnanapoo |
| Website | Official Website |
| Part of a series on |
| Christianity in India |
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Devasahayam Pillai was an 18th century convert from Hinduism to Christianity in the southern part of India. He was an official in the court of the Travancore king Maharaja Marthanda Varma,[2] during which time he came under the influence of the Dutch naval commander, Captain Eustachius De Lannoy.
He is believed by Roman Catholics to have been martyred.[2] In 2004, the Tamil Nadu branch of the Catholic Bishops' Council in India recommended Devasahayam Pillai for the process of beatification to the Vatican.[3] This led to arguments as some Hindus believe that there is no evidence of religious persecution in Travancore during that period, and that Pillai was executed for sedition.[4]
In June 2012, Pope Benedict XVI recognized a decree from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints stating that he lived a life of "heroic virtues", so he is now referred to as "Venerable"[1].
Account of his life as given by Roman Catholic devotees
Early life
Devasahayam Pillai (named Neelakanda Pillai at birth)[2] was born into an affluent Nair-caste family at Nattalam in the present-day Kanyakumari District, on 23 April 1712.[5] His father Vasudevan Namboodiri, hailed from Kayamkulam, in present-day Kerala state, and was working as a priest at Sri Adi Kesava Perumal temple in Thiruvattar in present-day Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. His mother Devaki Amma was hailing from Thiruvattar in Kanyakumari district. In the Nair matriarchal traditions of the day, Devasahayam Pillai was raised-up by his maternal uncle, and was inculcated with Hindu beliefs and traditions early on.
Devasahayam’s family had much influence in the royal palace of Maharaja Marthanda Varma, king of Travancore, and Devasahayam went into the service of the royal palace as a young man.[6]: 12 His capabilities and enthusiasm did not go unnoticed in the palace, as he was soon put in charge of state affairs as an official under Ramayyan Dalawa, the Dewan of Travancore.[7]: 55–56
Conversion to Christianity
In 1741, Captain Eustachius De Lannoy, a Dutch naval commander, was sent on command of a Dutch naval expedition by the Dutch East India Company to capture Colachel, a port under the control of Travancore, and establish a trading post there. In the battle (Battle of Colachel) that followed between the Travancore forces and De Lannoy’s men, the Dutchmen were vanquished. Many Dutchmen, including De Lannoy and his assistant Donadi, were taken as prisoners, while the rest either ran away or were killed.
De Lannoy and the Dutchmen were later pardoned by the king, on condition that they serve in the Travancore army. De Lannoy later earned the trust of the king and went on to become the commander of the Travancore armed forces, winning many battles and annexing various adjacent territories to Travancore.
It was during their influential roles under the King of Travancore that Devasahayam Pillai and De Lannoy became well acquainted. De Lannoy’s Christian faith interested Devasahayam and De Lannoy enlightened him on the faith, leading to his conversion in 1745.[2]
Baptism
On Devasahayam’s acceptance of the Christian faith, he was baptized at the church at Vadakkankulam village (in the present Tirunelveli District of Tamil Nadu), where the Jesuits had a mission under Rev. Fr. R. Bouttari Italus S.J.[8]: 281 Neelakanda Pillai, his name at birth, was then changed to Lazar, although he is more widely known by the Tamil & Malayalam translation Devasahayam (meaning God's help).[9] Pillai was married[2] by this time to Bargavi Ammal of Travancore. She was also persuaded and converted to Christianity by her husband. His wife was given the baptismal name of Gnanapoo Ammaal (equivalent to Theresa in Tamil & Malayalam). Fearing reprisal in Travancore against her religious conversion, she chose to be a migrated-resident of this village. Some of Devasahayam Pillai's immediate family members also received baptism later after being converted to Christianity.[7]: 68–69
Orders based on accusations and charges
Roman Catholic sources allege that the Brahmin chief priest of the kingdom and members of the royal household and the Nair community brought false charges on Devasahayam to the Dewan, Ramayyan Dalawa,[8]: 282 and that Devasahayam was divested of his portfolio in the administration and was later accused of treason and of divulging state secrets to rivals and Europeans. He was initially ordered to be taken on a buffalo to Kuzhumaikkad, where he would be executed and finished-off.[6]: 41–42 [10] But the original Royal order was altered later several times to finally to be taken on a buffalo back to Aralvaimozhy border for a meaningful punishment of banishment after carrying out a series of tortures by ten different karyakkars on the advice of ministers.[6]: 42–65
Other traditions and beliefs
Devasahayam was marched to Aralvaimozhy by soldiers, over the period of a few days. As was customary in those days for very cruel criminals, his body was painted with red and black spots, and he was intentionally marched through populated areas, sitting backward on top of a water buffalo[8]: 283 [11] (the mythical vehicle or vahana of Yama, the lord of death in Hinduism) throughout South Travancore from Padmanabhapuram palace. On the way en-route, he was daily beaten with eighty stripes, pepper rubbed in his wounds and nostrils, exposed to the sun, and given only stagnant water to drink.[11]
While halting at Puliyoorkurichi, not far away from the Padmanabhapuram Palace of the Travancore king, it is believed by Christians that God quenched his thirst by letting water gush through a small hole on a rock, the very place where he knelt to pray. The water hole is still to be found in the compound of a church at Puliyoorkurichi, about 15 km from Nagercoil.[6]: 54 [8]: 285
It is also believed that the leaves of a neem (Margosa) tree in the village of Peruvilai, to which he had been tied while being marched to Aralvaimozhy, cured illnesses of sick people in the village and around. Many more miracles are attributed to Devasahayam Pillai.[8]: 286
Death
In 1752, the original order of the King and his Dewan was to deport him from Travancore, into the Pandya country, at Aralvaimozhy. He was let off in the forested hills near Aralvaimozhy. There, he is believed to have begun deep meditations, and the people from the adjacent villages began visiting the holy man. Christian sources allege that at this time, high caste Hindus plotted to do away with Devasahayam.[7]: 134
Some people believe that the soldiers went up the forested hills and tried to shoot Devasahayam, but were unable to fire; after which he took the gun in his hands, blessed it and gave it back to the soldiers to shoot him to death, if they wished to. The soldiers took the gun back and fired at him five times. His body was then carelessly thrown out near the foothills at Kattadimalai.[8]: 285 [12]: 83
It was at Kattadimali in Kanyakumari district that Devasahayam Pillai died on 14 January 1752.[2] His mortal remains were interred near the altar inside St. Xavier's Church, Kottar, Nagercoil, which is now a Cathedral.[8]: 285
Canonization efforts
According to the report submitted by the then Bishop of Cochin (under whom Kanyakumari church was then functioning) in 1756 CE, the Christian martyrdom of Devasahayam Pillai was promptly intimated to Vatican. Prominent witnesses to his saintliness and martyrdom include Paremmakkal Thoma Kathanar.[13]
In 1780, Kariattil Ouseph Malpan submitted a petition to the Vatican for canonization of Devasahayam Pillai.[12]: 94–96
The church historian C. M. Agur concluded in 1903 that although apostasy was never considered illegal in Travancore, it was not viewed indifferently, particularly in the case of the King's palace servants, and this led to the martyrdom of Devasahayam Pillai.[8]: 285
In 1984, a group of laymen once again took the initiative to seek the beatification of Devasahayam.[14] This is unusual for a layman,[2] but he is regarded as one who was totally devoted to Christ.[3] At the beginning of the 21st century, many Christian devotees started offering prayers at his tomb.[3]
After a series of initiatives and much deliberation, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), Tamil Nadu council, later in 2004, duly recommended his beatification, following scrutiny of available historical evidence, in consultation with others.[3] Bishop Chrysostom said that the CBCI did not intend any controversy whatsoever in moving this forward.[3]
However, Professor A. Sreedhara Menon, a noted historian and writer on Travancore, said that no cases of persecution in the name of religious conversion were recorded in the history of the kingdom.[4] P. Parameswaran, president of the Hindu spiritual organisation Vivekananda Kendra, accused the CBCI of an attempt to hurt Hindu sentiments. Referring to the Travancore state manual, he insisted that Devasahayam was a palace employee who was executed after confirmation of sedition, because he had tampered with palace records and passed them to De Lannoy.[4]
In June 2012, Pope Benedict XVI officially recognized a decree from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints stating that he lived a life of "heroic virtues" - a major step towards beatification - so he is now referred to as "Venerable"[1].
Declaration of Martyrdom and Beatification
Devasahayam Pillai will be declared a Martyr and Blessed on December 2, 2012, at a solemn ceremony to be held in the Diocese of Kottar at Carmel Higher Secondary School Grounds near the place of his burial. The Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Angelo Cardinal Amato will preside at the function.
Devasahayam's tomb in St. Xavier Cathedral of the Diocese of Kottar is being restored and beautified in view of the declaration of maryrdom and beatification.
Places of interest
Devasahyam Pillai is buried in the Cathedral of St. Francis Xavier at Kottar in Nagercoil.[2][9]
Devasahyam Pillai’s clothes and other belongings are kept in a church in the small town of Vadakkankulam in Tirunelveli District of Tamil Nadu State, India. They are exposed at the church on 15 August every year, the feast of the Assumption of Mary. His wife was buried in the cemetery there.
Puliyoorkurichi, location of the water fountain believed to have quenched Devasahayam’s thirst, is on the Nagercoil – Trivandrum highway.
Aralvaimozhy, where Devasahayam was killed, is also on the Nagercoil – Tirunelveli highway. At that spot on the hillock (called Kaattadimalai), devotees believe that rocks fell and were broken at that moment. One rock at the place makes bell-like sounds when knocked with a stone.
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Two Indian laymen placed on sainthood road". ucan india. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h CBCI report, The Hindu, 10 January 2004. Retrieved 27 Sept 2009.
- ^ a b c d e "CBCI report". NewIndPress.com. 13 January 2004. Archived from the original on 30 August 2004. Retrieved 27 Sept 2009.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ a b c Balram Mishra, "Deafening silence?" Daily Pioneer, 20 January 2003. Cited at HinduWisdom.com. Retrieved 27 Sept 2009.
- ^ Amalagiri Anthonymuthu, "Vedasatchi Devasahayam Pillai Virivaana Varalaaru" Template:Ta icon, Nanjil Book Stall, Nagercoil, 1988, 3rd Edn.,2006, Page:15.
- ^ a b c d Pushpa Raj P, "Devasahayam Pillai: The Martyr", Nanjil Book Stall, Nagercoil, 1988, 2nd Edn., 2005
- ^ a b c Rosario Narchison J, "Martyr Devasahayam: A Documented History", Bishop's House, Nagercoil, 2002.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Agur, C. M., Church History of Travancore, Madras, 1903, Reprint: Asian Educational Services, New Delhi, 1990, Part II, Chapter V. ISBN 81-206-0594-2
- ^ a b History of the Diocese, Roman Catholic Diocese of Kottar, 2010. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
- ^ Stephen, A.P., "Retham Chintha Chintha" Template:Ta icon, Kottar Diocese, Nagercoil, 1975, page 29.
- ^ a b Samuel Mateer, Native Life in Travancore, London, 1883. ISBN 81-206-0514-4. Page 291.
- ^ a b Thangasami M.S.J., "Vanjinaattu Vedasaatchi Devasahayam Pillai Varalaaru" Template:Ta icon, Nanjil Pathippaham, Nagercoil, 1989.
- ^ Gover Nethor Parammakkal Thoma Kathanar, "Vathamana Pusthakam" (Malayalam), First Travelogue in an Indian language & Malankara Catholic records, edited by Most Rev. Fr. Thomas Muthedan, published by Janatha Book Stall, Thevara, Ernakulam, 1778–87.
- ^ Process of beatification on devotees' website
Further reading
- Leita, Clement Joseph C. Martyrdom of Devasahayam. An Extract from the Report submitted to Pope Benedict XIV on the occasion of the Ad Limina Visit by Most Rev. Clement Joseph C. Leita, S.J., Bishop of Cochin, 15 November 1756. Canonization Committee, Diocese of Kottar, 2009.
- National Symposium on Devasahayam Pillai. Department of History and Tourism & Historical Commission for the Cause of Martyr Devasahayam. Nagarkoil, 2008.
- Mathavadiyan, A. Devasahayampilla Charthram. [Malayam. History of Devasahayam Pilla.] Trivandrum: City Press, 2006.
- Ferroli, D. Jesuits in Malabar. Vol. II. Bangalore, 1951.
- Ibrahim Kunhu, A.P. Marthanda Varma: The Rise of Modern Travancore. [Malayalam.] Thiruvananthapuram: Cultural Publications Department, Govt. of Kerala, 2005.
- Kottukapally, Joseph. “Devasahayam Pilla: Convert, Apostle, Revolutionary, Martir [sic], I.” Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection 76/1 (2012) 27-42.
- Kottukapally, Joseph. “Devasahayam Pilla: Convert, Apostle, Revolutionary, Martyr, II.” Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection 76/2 (2012) 108-120.
- Antonimuthu, Amalagiri. Viswaa Deepam. Daivadasan Devasahayam Pilla. 3rd ed. [Malayalam translation of Tamil original.] Nagarkoil.
- Narchison, Rosario J. Martyr Devasahayam. A Documented History. Nagarcoil: Canonization Committee, 2009.
External links
- Bibliography at Catholic site, http://www.MartyrDevasagayam.org
- Devasahayam (Lazar) Pillai