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The question of St. Thomas origin of Indian Christianity
20/02/2011 03:37:27

Speech by Prof. C. I. Issac, Former Head of Department of History, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, on the occasion of the release of the book “Breaking India” by Rajiv Malhotra and Aravindan Neelakandan, in Chennai on 03 Feb 2011

Ladies and gentlemen,

Namaskaram.

First of all I would like to congratulate Mr. Rajiv Malhotra and Mr. Aravindan Neelakandan for their painstaking endeavour of the book “Breaking India”. Most of our intellectual community conveniently bypasses the contemporary realities that are chasing the Hindu society in their mother land.

The respected authors of “Breaking India” have shown enough courage to unwrap the vanity of the pseudo-secularist and democrats of contemporary India. The book gives us a thumbnail picture of how far the missionaries misused the word “dravida” and “arya” in order to balkanize and Christianize India since the days of British Raj.

The fabrication of South Indian history is being carried out on an immense scale with the explicit goal of constructing a Dravidian identity that is distinct from that of the rest of India. It is factual that term dravida is derived from the Greek tongue. They used Dhamir and Dhamarike respectively for Tamil and Tamizakaom. Similarly they introduced our arasi and inchi in the West as rice and ginger.

But Bishop Caldwell, with his missionary zeal, misused the Greek derivative of Tamil and Tamizakaom and had given an anthropological representation. It was started in the 19th century with specific designs.

Suniti Kumar Chatterji, [1890-1977], a renowned linguist, was of the opinion that: Friedrich Max Muller, by the middle of 19th century, introduced Aryan-Dravidian dichotomy. Subsequently Bishop Robert Caldwell [1814 – 1891] followed the same foot-steps and in 1856 published the book “A Comparative Grammar of The Dravidian or South Indian Family of Languages”.

This book epitomized distinctive anthropological status to the South and pictured as linguistically separate from the rest of India with an un-Indian culture. There is no definite philological and linguistic basis for asserting unilaterally that the term Dravida. His work was influenced with the defunct Aryan-Dravidian race theories proposed by Max Muller the German linguist. Thereupon the term Dravida became the name of the family of a language.

During the early days of Common Era [CE] Greeks used Dhamir/Damarike for Tamil/Tamizakaom. Ancient Sri Lankans used Dhamizha for Tamil. Sanskrit also used Dramida/Dravida for Tamil long before the birth of Common Era. [Probably between 1500 to 1000 BCE].

Brahmins of India broadly divided themselves into two groups Pancha Gauda [Gaudam/Bengal, Saraswatam, Kanyakubjam, Utkalam, Kashmeeram] & Pancha Dravida [Gurjara, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra, Dravida includes Kerala and Tamilnadu]. Thus it has no anthropological base.
[Suniti Kumar Chatterji, Dravidam, Annamalai Nagar, 1965, passim].

In the light of the said Aryan-Dravidian dichotomy it is better to make an enquiry into the contemporary attempts to transform Tamil identity into the Dravidian Christianity. The advocates of this venture are striving to baptize Saint Thiruvalluvar through re-writing history. For instance Chennai Arch Bishop Arulappa once hired Ganesh Iyer alias Acharya Paul for re-writing the history with the said end. Such vicious endeavours targets to transform even Saint Thiruvalluvar, the pride of Mother India, as the disciple of Saint Thomas. [Anyhow their rationality failed to depict Saint Thiruvalluvar as the disciple of Jesus].

They are reducing Saint Thiruvalluvar’s greatness by making him as the disciple of Thomas who never visited India. Thomas’s mission to India is rejected even by Vatican also. Thus, I think, it is genuine to peep into the futility of apostolic origin of the Indian Christianity.

First question to be discussed here is the question of the arrival of Saint Thomas and subsequent conversion of Hindu aristocracy [particularly the Namboothiris/Brahmins] to Christianity.

Second one is the date of the question of the origin of Christianity in Kerala, the gateway of Christianity to India.

Third is the European interest behind popularization of generating aristocratic [savarna] feeling among the native Christians.

Before the arrival of Europeans in India, a nominal Christian presence was seen only in the Travancore and Cochin regions of Kerala. According to Ward and Conner, even after two centuries of the birth of Christianity, the number of Christians on the Malabar Coast shrank to eight families.Conner [Ward [Lieut.] and Conner, The Survey of Travancore and Cochin States, Trivandrum, 1863, p 146].

The antagonism that was generated amongst the Christians and Muslims due to the Crusades of 11th, 12th and 13th centuries prevented Christians from planting their roots in the Malabar region where Muslims got roots quite earlier.

The Christian population altogether in Travancore and Cochin during the early decades of the 19th century CE was 35,000 with 55 churches.
[Ward [Lieut.] and Connor, The Survey of Travancore and Cochin States,Trivandrum, 1863, pp 146 & 147].

C. M. Augur says that from the arrival of Portuguese till the early decades of the nineteenth century here in Kerala there were only less than 300 Christian churches for of all the denominations .
[C. M. Augur, Church History of Travancore, Kottayam, 1902, pp 7, 8, 9.].

G. T. Mackenzie observes, Christians prior to the arrival of Portuguese, did not form the part of Travancore aristocracy.[G. T. Mackenzie, Christianity in Travancore, Govt. Press, Trivandrum, 1901, p 8].

Pope Nicolas IV sent Monte Corvino, a missionary to convert India and China into Christianity and thus he wrote to pope in 1306 that “There are very few Christians and Jews [in India] and they are of little weight”. [See G. T. Mackenzie, Christianity in Travancore, Govt. Press Trivandrum, 1901, p 8. & Cosmos Indicopleustus comments that Christians are not masters but slaves. Quoted from N. K. Jose, Aadima Kerala Christavar, [Mal.] Vechoor-Vaikom, 1972, p 127].

The center of the present savrna feeling of Syrian Christians of Kerala is the upshot of the wealth, which they had acquired through enhanced spice trade of the European period and the Portuguese pre-eminence in the Church. Above all the Christian Muslim antagonism of West Asia was the real cause of the birth of Christianity of Kerala as seen today. To escape from the Muslim persecution several Persian, Syrian, etc regions Christians secured refuge in India and thus it resulted in the birth of Christianity here. It is evident from the above mentioned pre-European period Christian Muslim settlement pattern of Kerala.

In 1816 C.E there were, in the Travancore State [now the part of Kerala], 19,524 temples and 301 churches for all denominations. But in 1891, that is after 76 years, the number of temples had shrunk in to 9,364 and the number of churches had burgeoned to 1,116.
[C. M. Augur, Church History of Travancore, Kottayam, 1902, pp 7, 8, 9.].

Under the recommendation of Diwan [Col. Munroe, a British subject] in 1812 Queen of Travancore nationalized 378 wealthy temples. The villain Diwan tactically awarded a natural death to the temple with insufficient resources. Considering the geographical area, the number of the temples set ablaze or knocked down or tactically buried down in Travancore [a princely state of modern Kerala] was proportionately much higher than that of temples demolished by the Muslim rulers of Northern India or Mysore Sultans.

In the year 1952 CE, the native Catholic Church approached the Papacy in Rome for Pontifical approval to celebrate 1900th year of proselytism of Thomas. The Papacy declined the request of the Kerala Catholics on the ground that the claim has no historicity. Pope Benedict XVI had also declined the Thomas’ arrival and mission in the peninsular India. Only after the Portuguese Christianity in the South became a notable religious sect.

Terisapalli [St. Theresa Church] Copper Plate Grant [Terisapalli Cheppedu] executed in 849 CE by Ayyan Atikal Tiruvatikal of Venadu during the reign of Emperor Sthanu Ravi (844-855) is the available oldest historical document linking to Christianity of Kerala. But the Grant holders were not native Christians is a notable fact.

Kottayam is the Rome of India. First church of Kottayam [Valiyapalli - big church] was built by a Hindu raja [Thekkumkur dynasty] in 1550 CE for the Persian Christian merchants [Knanaya Christians] who settled here. [A. Sreedharamenon, A Survey of Kerala History, Kottayam, 1970, p43].

The quality of missionaries to India until early British period was also remarkably very low. Missionary urge for Christianization of India was fermented in England long before the 1813 Charter Act. In 1793 William Carey reached in Bengal, at Serampore, with missionary spirit without proper permission from the Company. Originally he was a cobbler by profession and turned out to be a Baptist missionary and became instrumental to the general missionary spirit that prevailed over England during this period. [R. C. Majumdar & others, An Advanced History of India, Madras, rpt. 1970, pp 810, 811].

It is the fact that several of the much applauded missionary families of the colonial period were failed business men or opportunity seekers.

Christian population became decisive power only after the European intervention in the socio-economic structure of Kerala. Robert De Nobili, an early 17th century Catholic Missionary of India, who lived in the attire of a Hindu hermit and established a monastery in Madurai to convert Brahmins. His attempt was to present Christianity in India as an aristocratic and Vedic offshoot. Thus the Thomas origin of Christianity in the Dravidian South was the outcome of the missionary schema against Hindu religion and culture.

The construction of Dravidian identity and induction of Saint Thomas myth is a calculated affair by the European Church which is now facing the extinction syndrome. The fragility of Christian base in the West is a well attested factor. In this changing scenario the Church cast its eyes in the third millennium over a highly spiritualistic society, the Hindu, for its survival. To a certain extent missionaries of the South succeeded to construct and politicize the Dravidian illusion. The need of the hour is to prepare the society to counter all such disguised and overt anti-Hindu accomplishments.

Thank you all.

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Sudhakaran 20/03/2011 05:38:02	Islamic Implosion Dear GSK ji,I agree with you.Islam has reached it's expiry date. In fact it is not an expiry,not an explosion,but an IMPLOSION. Islam is going to implode ! There is a certain implosion to Islam.It is not our desire,it is the desire of Allah.... Allah's own private desire. "Belief returns and goes back to Medina like a snake" (Sahih Buhari,3.30.100) "There will be no trace of Islam in some believers" Prophet Mohammed himself made predictions in regards to Islams IMPLOSION. "Muslims will diminish in number and they will go back to where they started(Sunnaah Abu Dawud 2.19.3029 In future,you will find Islam only in Mecca and Medina.That is what is called ISLAMIC IMPLOSION. But before the implosion of Islam,most of the Mohamadans will unite to kill Hindus,Christians and Buddhists....and the infidels will stand together... And the implosion of Islam take place. 5
GSK Menon 14/03/2011 09:37:41	The question of St.Thomas All the three desert religions have been the cause for large scale slaughter of humanity in different parts of the world. Peace can be expected only after these three great viruses are exterminated from the face of the Universe forever. Islam has self predicted its own demise within a period of 1300 years, it has almost reached its expiry date. The Jews do not believe in open conversion, but they are going around the world hunting for tribes and giving them a false Jewish identity. Many tribes in North East of India have been lured to Israel by this ploy. However Jews are needed to keep at bay the cross and meteorite worshippers, so let them indulge in these type of gimmicks. The cross-virus is the most virulent and evil variety. Forever fabricating, copying, imitating,secretively violent,narrow minded, these cross bearers should be persecutedby following the Sassanian rulers.Let the fabricated religion be destroyed. 5
NeverMind 27/02/2011 21:59:06	Extract from "Bush’s freedom to Rape India" by N Krishna (2005) 'The Sassanian rulers of Iran wisely foresaw that the Syrian Christians within their borders would develop into a fifth column of their powerful neighbors. Their solution was to persecute the Syrian Christians. Some of these Christians fled Iran as groups. In AD 345, around 400 odd persons from 72 families comprising men, women and children, reached Cragananore (Kodungalloore) Kerala, under the leadership of a merchant, one Thomas Cananeus. The Hindu Kings gave them refuge. What these treacherous Christians did in return was to invite Vasco de Gama to invade India. This information recently came to light from Portugese documents. Sanjay Subrahmaniam in Lisbon went through the Portugese Documents `Career and Legend of Vasco Da Gama` and found that these Kerala Christians known as Syrian Christians were indeed a fifth column spies and brought Vasco Da Gama to Kerala shores that began the colonization of India. They had offered to the Portugese, French and British their support to defeat and evict the local kings, Zamorins, who gave them the refuge. Vasco da Gama had bombarded Calicut, in Kerala when the Zamorin ruler of that place refused to be dictated by him. He had plundered the Kerala ships bringing rice to the city and cut off the ears, noses and hands of the crews. The Zamorin had sent to him an envoy after securing Portuguese safe-conduct. Vasco da Gama had cut off the nose, ears and hands of the envoy and strung them around his neck together with a palm-leaf on which a message was conveyed to the Indian king that he could cook and eat a curry made from his envoy`s limbs." This is the true nature of Christians who are living in India, a fifth column foreigners, a Trojan horse community that wants to destroy India from within since the fourth century. The same fact also came to light from the Dutch History of Trvancore, and also in the French records.' That's Syrian christians "gratitude" to Hindu Kings who gave them refuge. Rome knew christians=traitors. 5
Sudhakaran 27/02/2011 16:45:52	@Archpagan Yes Archpagan,I agree with you. But the Vatican has listed some new original sins.According to them Genetic engineering is a sin.Polluting is another sin.Being obscenely rich,Abortion...list goes on.In fact Cristian missionaries and Theologians are simply misguiding the people.Because they have missed the ORIGINAL meaning of SIN. The root word in Hebrew means 'FORGETFULNESS'. By changing the meaning of sin,they have done great injustice to Jesus. By calling 'sinner',Jesus simply meant unconsciousness,the state of forgetting yourself.Forgetting or avoiding actual meaning of sin,missionaries are wearing a facade,a false character,certain false virtuousness and going on speaking 'Jesus Truth'.That is the number one original sin. Jesus said "if your right eye causes you to sin,take it out and throw it away" But Christians have misinterpreted Jesus statement.In fact Jesus is talking about forgetfulness,he is emphasizing 'self rememberance'.He is using just a metaphor.And most of missionaries are forgetting themselves and behave unconsciously.If they are conscious enough,they will never never never indulge in the act of conversion.Because real conversion has nothing to do with religious conversion.What is the use of having eyes ? They can't see themselves..! Sinners are not listening to Jesus because they are fast asleep ! 5
Archpagan 25/02/2011 20:37:43	@Sudhakaran Original sin is not eating of the apple of wisdom by Adam and Eve. There are actually three such sins. The first original sin is the idea of strategic Monotheism invented by the Jews, i. e. the concept of one God who loves his believers alone; the Jews are paying for that sin till date. The second original sin was committed by the Christians under St. Paul who theorized the impossible concept of father changing and materialized the same through the tool of religious conversion. Muhammad just provided the third by imparting an aura of sanctity to violence and brutality through the concept of 'jihad'. Law of karma will catch up with them in due course. 5
Kaz 24/02/2011 18:01:12	reply Old testament. Mainstream churches do not allow polygamy mostly because of some references in New testament. But again anyone can float an evangelical sect and interpret the verses as he wish. 5
J George 24/02/2011 14:53:19	Simple thing ; Orange tree will give Ornages not Coconuts Now you will see the Syrian Christians in India ((either as Entreprenuers or in Central & State Governments)in good positions. Other than Syrian Christians who is in these positions from the begenning till now. So now it is evident that Oranges are from Orange tree. More than this what evidence you need they are from .... 5
pvas 24/02/2011 01:38:08	More bizarre christian sects in India In my earlier post, I referred to the the rise in Evangelical christianity in many parts of the developing world, including India. Now there are even more bizarre christian sects trying to rise to prominence in India, particularly the North-East states. It would be interesting to find out from where this christian man with multiple wives takes his inspiration - the Old Testament or the New Testament? Any views on this, christian readers at HK? -------------------------- The more, the merrier is certainly true for Ziona Chana, a 66-year-old man in India's remote northeast who has 39 wives, 94 children and 33 grandchildren — and wouldn't mind having more. They all live in a four-story building with 100 rooms in a mountainous village in Mizoram state, sharing borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh, media reports said. "I once married 10 women in one year," he was quoted as saying. His wives share a dormitory near Ziona's private bedroom and locals said he likes to have seven or eight of them by his side at all times... ...He heads a local Christian religious sect, called the "Chana," which allows polygamy. Formed in June 1942, the sect believes it will soon be ruling the world with Christ and has a membership of around 400 families. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41713126/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/ 5
JayKumar 23/02/2011 07:44:32	@VISWAJITH NAIR Long back avery god article was published on Thiruvallavar as disciple of Thomas in HK who did and where in Madras may be in March 2010. EVen many more crooked faces of chruch was exposed you can get that article if u search this website completely. 5
pvas 23/02/2011 01:28:24	Evangelical christianity on the rise? The news below confirms what I always suspected happening in India and other countries, despite the non-availability of accurate religious population statistics. One can observe what is happening in the villages in many Indian states, especially Tamil Nadu, to understand the extent of recruitment to evangelical groups that goes on in the country. If these evangelical groups do come to power, the Catholics and traditional Protestants also, along with the rest, can expect their heads to roll, because of deep contempt and dislike that the Evangelicals have for Catholics and traditional Protestants. I have had chance to observe firsthand some of these evangelical groups in the US, and know that they are ruthless fanatics, bordering on lunacy. They make the Talibans and other Muslim fundamentalists look like amateurs or primary-school kids running around with loaded pistols. Many Evangelists behave like psychopaths, cold-blooded but with suave exterior and smooth mannerisms, that set them apart from the muslim fundamentalists. If other religions don't unitedly fight back and these evangelists do become a dominant group so to speak, the rest are either doomed to die or convert and be enslaved (especially the non-whites). If, lets assume, the battle against them is lost, many Hindus (including myself) will no doubt prefer to die (as dramatic as it might sound) than submit, as these Evangelicals either swing their axes (more like guns, given their use of sophisticated weapons) or throw their twisted 'literature' at individuals, depending on which option the victim chooses. But I guess, in some perverse way, even when the end is near, it will be of some comfort and satisfaction to observe the testicles of Catholics and Protestants being pulverized by these Evangelical nutbags. That surely must induce the last, sardonic smile. ----------------------------- http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=245201 5
R.Sajan 22/02/2011 10:51:41	NOBODY BELIEVES THE LIE NOW; NOT EVEN POPES! 1. The story of a prominent Jew-Christian merchant Knai Thomman (???? ????)(in English, Thomas the Zealot) who came to Kerala in AD 345, with some followers was made into the St.Thomas story. More than once, Vatican [Roman Church was founded after AD 400] has said that the St.Thomas-in-Kerala story is a lie. 2. Early Kerala Christians could not have been Namboodiri-converts because Kerala did not have Namboodiris before AD 700. 5
Sudhakaran 21/02/2011 20:23:57	'Workers of uniquity' "Depart from me ye workers of uniquity,I know ye not" said Jesus. Yes,it is high time for them to DEPART. No missionary,no theologian,no priest can save you.In reality nobody can save others..it goes against the very fundamental truth of freedom.Without realizing it so called unwed 'FATHERS' and missionaries are going on eating the forbidden fruit.They are throwing rubbish into others head.They are unaware that the very idea to dominate the World by conversion is an ego trip.It is absolutely foolish. As far as Hindus are concerned,we don't need any Christian compassion.We are not slaves or sinners and we are not spiritually bankrupt like them. Let the missionaries realize that without Adam and Eve,there is no 'original sin' and without original sin,there is no need for salvation...and without any need for salvation there is no need for anybody to accept Christianity..!! Let them go somewhere else and eat the 'forbidden fruit' under the cover of darkness. "Depart from me ye workers of...." 5
ramadasan 21/02/2011 10:52:15	Opportunism will Triumph??? Missionaries played an important role to change "truth will Triumph" into "opportunism will triumph". At least kerala history makes us to believe "opportunism will triumph".Whatever may be ultimately Satyameva Jayathe. 5
Julian 21/02/2011 07:34:17	st. thomas hoax This hoax has already been exposed by Ishwar Sharan here: http://bharatabharati.wordpress.com/the-myth-of-st-thomas-and-the-mylapore-shiva-temple/ 5
T Raman 21/02/2011 03:15:00	Cross and Moon It is true that history has always been distorted. But the biggest historian to do it is our own Romilla Thappar. Let us first clean our house and then attack others. In doing so we should not forget that many our our brothers and sisters are in the land of Cross and Moon. 5
sahya 21/02/2011 00:07:12	Alternate view: ploy to divide and isolte Hindus? There is an alternative view about this discourse which is happening in the christian circles for sometime, with the traditional Syrian - Catholic orthodox churches pitted against CSI - protestant and Neo -evangalist / pentocostal groups. To Viscerate the same requires a good understanding of Socio - political dynamics in kerala as well as its demographic constructs. The allegation that Xianity got Hinduised started from the days of the portuegese rule itself. In the recent days the allegation became more vehement when the Syrian Christians became reluctant to join the grand coalition being cleverly envisaged by a particluar intelligentia. This intelligentia from among Chriatians believe that Christianity is just 200 years old in kerala and grew in size with the marginalised among the kerala population joining their fold due to the grave injustice amounting to levels of untouchability that existed in kerala. They envisage a grand coalition including Christians, OBC and Dalits which will then make up the majority pitted against the Upper castes(who just constitute 13% of kerala population). Mind you the same situation exists among muslims, with the traditional Sufi school oriented "Sunnis" being attacked by neo Islamists such as Popular front and Jama'at e Islami. As the former is accused of imbibing certain 'hindu traditions' , and being 'in-different to the plight of the backword downtroden majority'.Communists of kerala are 'Brahmin or Manuvian marxists' for them. They believe with the formation of just a grand coalition , the 2 major coalition can be unseated from kerala. Does this augur well for the Hindu community of kerala ? Think about the circumstances that lead to the Khilafat massacre in Malabar - due to fuedal immoral and unjust consolidation of wealth among them the Nair - Nambudiri communities had to face umprecedented slaughter in the hands of dispossed Muslims, while the downtrodden backward majority took a nuetral role 5
Murali-Devavrata 20/02/2011 22:25:23	How long? How long are we going to suffer from these idiot historians? The desert religions especially the Cross and Moon brands are utterly illogical and harp on other religions for everything from customs, practices and scriptures. We don't need them and let them kill themselves in the desert. 5
Raj 20/02/2011 10:53:40	Good pay back by Kaz "eh.. dnt be so jealous guys!" KAZ, Your attitude is the right one for those who were saved from persecution and certain death in persia, iraq, palestine by Hindus in Kerala. So more sarcasm from you is good for your semitic middle east creeed. Carry on, for, if not for the hindus who gave your forefathers refuge this opportunity wouldn't have come to you. Spit on the hand which saved you. carry on .. there is no surprise.. middle east and western philosophy is bound to make you like this. 5
VISWAJITH NAIR 20/02/2011 08:09:59	expose of st. thomas the myth of st. thomas of mylapore has been exposed much earlier. please publish an article describing how these bigots destroyed kaapleshwara temple and made their church.. also they even said that Saint Thiruvalluvar was a disciple of this fictious character.... reason: To show that christianity is a native religion as the saint thiruvalluvar is a revered figure. Expose: thiruvalluvar died in 1 century BC, the said fictious character came in 1st century AD(in reality no such man came here). let's assume their unrealistic story as real, then also how can a man who died here in 1st century BC be a disciple of a man who came here in 1 st century AD? shame shame!you missionaries I request HK to publish a detailed report on this fictious man of mylapore citing how they tried to alter the evidence with ASI(archaeological survey of india). Also their said bloodline. this will be a huge blow to them. 5
Kaz 20/02/2011 04:53:29	reply eh..dnt be so jealous guys! 5

"I say quite deliberately that the Christian religion, as organised in its Churches, has been and still is the principal enemy of moral progress in the world."

Bertrand Russell