With the arrival of the
Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama at Calicut on the Kerala Coast in
1498, a Latin connection began to take shape. The Portugese were
happy to discover the St.Thomas Christians on the West coast of
India, but did not like their connection to East-Syrian Church.
Pointing out some expressions in their liturgical texts, the
Portugese alleged that St.Thomas Christians believed in the
Nestorian Heresy. The Synod of Diamper (Udayamperur) in 1599
convened by the Latin Archbishop Menezes of Goa brought an end to
the connection between St.Thomas Christians and the East-Syrian
Church. By making the St. Thomas Christians acknowledge the
authority of the Vatican, the Portuguese planned to make the
original Christians an instrument of their colonial policies.
The Latin connection brought division among the original St.Thomas
Christians. The Coonan Cross Oath in 1653 at the Church of Our Lady
of Life at Mattanchery was the culmination of several years of
Latinization by the Portuguese. The crowd that gathered there took
an oath that they would not be subject to the Portuguese Archbishop
of Goa, Francis Garcia. This revolt eventually split the Church into
two: one group continued to recognize the prelates appointed by Rome
and the other broke away from Rome and joined the West-Syrian
Jacobite Church of Antioch.
The latter came to be known as the Jacobites (Puthankootukar) or
Syrian Orthodox Church of India. The Marthomites separated from
the Jacobites in the 19th century due to influence of the Anglican
Church. The Jacobites were further divided into two groups: Methran
Kakshi or the Bishop's group (Syrian Orthodox Church of India) whose
'Catholicos' or supreme head resides at Devalokam, Kottayam and the
Bhava Kakshi or Patriarch's Group (Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church
of India) whose head is the Antiochene Jacobite Patriach.
After the Coonan
Cross Oath, Rome began to take an active interest in the Kerala
Christians. Carmelite monks were sent to Kerala and Carmelite Vicar
Apostolics set up residence at Varapuzha. The Portuguese nominated
administrators and archbishops for Malabar who were stationed at
Kodungallur. This dual jurisdiction was cause for complaints to
Rome. In 1787, Representatives from 84 churches assembled in
Angamaly and drew up a document called 'Angamaly Padiyola' which
made a strong demand to Rome for native bishops, citing the sins of
omission and commission of the foreign missionaries.
In 1861 the
arrival of the Chaldean Catholic bishop Thomas Rokkos created more
problems. He was excommunicated on his arrival by the Vicar
Apostolic of Varapuzha, and a schism followed. Another Chaldean
bishop, Elias Melus arrived in 1874 and he too met the same fate.
The Syrian Christians, popularly known as the 'Surais' in and around
Thrissur who owe allegiance to the Syrian Nestorian patriarch are
the followers of the schism Melus created.
Finally in 1887
Pope Leo XIII declared in a decree the separation of the Rite of
St.Thomas Catholics from the Latin. Two Vicariates Apostolic, , with
two Latin Bishops, Adolf Medlycott and Charles Levigne, were erected
at Thrissur and Kottayam. Continued pleas for native bishops
resulted in Pope's decree in 1896 for the erection of three
vicariates for St.Thomas Catholics: Thrissur, Ernakulam and
Changanassery under Indian Bishops John Menachery, Louis
Pazheparambil and Mathew Makil respectively. In 1911, Pope Pius X
erected a fourth vicariate at Kottayam for the Southists or Knanites,
who claim to be descendents of East-Syrian Christians who migrated
from Persia along with Knai Thomman.
Today, there are
24 Syro-Malabar dioceses in India,12 in Kerala and 12 in the
rest of India.
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The Syrian Christian who
traveled to Europe
A devout Syrian Christian of Cochin
who desired to visit Rome and Palestine heard that three Portuguese
vessels had landed at Calicut on May 20th, 1498 and he traveled on
to Calicut from Cochin.
He told their leader, Vasco da Gama,
his desire to visit the pope and the holy land. He would learn
Portuguese and Latin he said en route, if any one of them would
teach them. He would reciprocate by teaching them Malayalam or
Syriac. The former language would be of use to them in their trade
with Malabar.
Gama, who had been planning to take
with him at least one Indian to the king of Portugal as a trophy of
his victorious expedition, as Columbus had done just six years
before, was immensely pleased with the offer.
A Catholic priest who had come with
the white men undertook the task of teaching his tongue to the
Indian whom he found to be an intelligent pupil. His peculiar Syrian
name was changed to Michael Jogue
Gama having concluded his business
with the zamorine, returned home with Michael Jogue, the first
Indian to travel by sea to Europe, the journey took about nine
months, and during this period the cochinite mastered Portuguese so
well that he could give a detailed history of Malabar and Cochin to
manual, the king, how the rajah of cochin possessed vessels which
were then made of oak. The king said he would not believe it unless
he saw one.
In the presence of the Indian, Gama
was reluctant to admit the marvelous strength of Indian vessel, but
in private he related to the king how he, expecting to find a set of
barbarous people like the Africans, was struck with wonder on
finding a civilization far more ancient than theirs. Malabar he said
had trade relation with Solomon, the Phoenicians and the Roman
Empire. The famous seaport of Muziris had lost its splendor and a
new had sprung up in Cochin.
The Indian guest was summoned to the
royal presence yet again. The ambitious king wanted to make sure
whether the zamorine and the Cochin rajah were really enemies. If
the Arabs ousted the Portuguese from Calicut, would Cochin welcome
them for trade? Pepper, which was black gold for the western
traders, was fascinating to a greedy mind, while the vision of a
Portuguese empire in India loomed large.
Since the grand reception given to
Gama and his crew by their countrymen, the shipyards of Lisbon had
been busy working day and night to fit out a number of vessels with
powerful canons. In the mean time the Cochinite had been ordained a
priest and was named Dom Miguel, and he accompanied the second
expedition to India on the understanding that he would visit Rome
and Palestine on his return.
The leader of this expedition was
Alvares Cabral a veteran navigator, on the way a few ships where
damaged due to bad weather and had to abandon. Dom Miguel reminded
Cabral that the ships made at Kochi could stand rougher weather,
which could be practically tested if at least one was brought for
their return journey on august 30, 1500 the fleet sighted Calicut,
which was then a center for sailing ships of Arabia. Cabral landed
with a few men and placed glittering gifts before the Zamorin who
was pleased at the prospect of a profitable trade and an agreement
of 'everlasting friendship' was signed, to the dismay of the Arab
traders.
At this time a ship of 600 tons
belonging to the Rajah of Cochin, laden with spices was slowly
travelling along the coast. The coastal guards informed the Zamorins
of this lonely ship belonging to his bitter enemy. To test the
fidelity of the Portuguese, the Zamorin requested Cabral to capture
this ship. Cabral had already heard from the Cochinite about the
affluence and trade of Cochin and was reluctant to oblige the mighty
Zamorin. He consulted Dom Miguel who advised the chief to capture
the ship just to please the potentate, but to keep it along with the
Portuguese vessels.
Accordingly the Cochin ship was
captured and kept under the guard of the western ships. A Portuguese
historian Duarte Barbosa, who wrote "A Description of the East Coast
of Africa and Malabar", was along with the Cabral, and he noted with
jealousy that the cochin ship was a real match for the European
vessels which were between 300 and 400 tons, while the Cochin ship
was a huge one. Dom Miguel assured the Cochin seamen that they had
nothing to fear from the Portuguese who were their friends and that
they could go back to Cochin after a few days.
The Cochin mariners were struck with
wonder when they found this Cochin priest along with the Portuguese
and they requested him to instigate his European friends to go to
Cochin and commence a prosperous trade with their Rajah. But Cabral
wanted to know the outcome of his commercial venture at Calicut.
The Arab ships were busy loading and
unloading goods and at the same time using their time - honored
influence at the Zamorin's Court to spread the rumor that the
westerners had come to conquer and not to trade, that they were the
agents of the Cochin Rajah, as an ambassador from Cochin had already
gone to Portugal and they had come to Calicut instead of Cochin to
attack the Zamorin at the instigation of the Cochin chief.
The Zamorin would not believe such
stories, as he knew that the presence of the Portuguese was a blow
to the profits made by the Arabs, as for centuries the monopoly of
spice trade with Calicut vested solely in the hands of the Arabs.
The terms of the Europeans were more profitable to the Zamorin who
determined to oblige the Portuguese even at the displeasure of his
ancient customers. But the tact and diplomacy of the Arabs triumphed
in the end, and the Indian pepper merchants refused to deal with the
new comers.
The Zamorin, unwilling to displease
the Portuguese allowed Cabral to build a warehouse naval personnel
guarded the spices that they had gathered with great difficulty.
Before long the Cochin ship was allowed to return to Cochin with
oral messages of goodwill from Dom Miguel. This unauthorized
liberation of the captured vessel was a trump card for the Arabs.
For four months the Portuguese waited patiently, but the Arabs had
the upper hand in the court and they could make the pepper magnates
boycott the white men.
Getting desperate, Cabral captured a
fully loaded Arab ship, while the Arabs retaliated by slaughtering
forty Portuguese traders who were then found in the streets. About
20 men and five priests, though wounded, ran to sea and escaped in
boats sent from the ships. This massacre of Europeans in India took
place on December 17, 1500 says Barbosa.
Cabral demanded of the Zamorin an
immediate payment of a huge sum by way of indemnity and compensation
for the loss sustained. As nothing was forthcoming, all the
Portuguese ships, fitted as they were with cannon, came close to the
coast, and directed the powerful weapon against the port. A few
hours of continuous firing shattered the town and killed about 600
men. A cannon ball found its way to the court of the Zamorin and
killed a soldier. This frightened the Zamorin and he had to take to
his heels cursing the Arabs.
Cabral then captured ten loaded ships
belonging to the Zamorin as well as the Arabs and turned to Cochin.
This was a turning point in the history of the two cities.
Thenceforth the Zamorins waged in vain a series of wars with Cochin
which lasted for over two centuries, and crores of rupees that could
have turned Malabar into the most prosperous district in India were
wasted on integral hatred.
On December 24, 1500 Cabral’s fleet
entered Cochin harbour. Rev. Whitehouse says: “Cabral entered the
most beautiful harbour he had ever seen”. Their arrival had been
expected by the Rajah, Unni Rama Koil Thiruppad. Dom Miguel of
Cochin was the first to land at Cochin. He, with an officer, landed
just in front of the Raja’s palace situated on the eastern bank of
the Calvetty Canal in Cochin. The dozen Portuguese sailing ships
with ten captured vessels entering Cochin harbour was a sight for
the Rajah who had already heard from messengers by land about the
calamities that happened to his enemy, the Zamorin whose ships were
entering his domain utterly vanquished, while the victors were
sailing in, soliciting the Rajah’s friendship. There was jubilation
in Cochin.
The Cochinite speedily detailed all
that had taken place at Calicut and the circumstances that led to
the capture of His Highness’s ship and requested the Rajah to allow
an interview for their Commander, Cabral and it was granted with
pleasure. The history of the Syrian Christian who was instrumental
in establishing a Portuguese trading station in Cochin laying a
foundation for their colony in the east, ends here.
It is presumed that on his second
voyage to Portugal he realised his dream of visiting Rome and
Palestine and finally died in the Holy Land.
Cabral presented His Highness with
valuable presents, costlier than what Gama had offered the Zamorin.
Agreements were signed for a permanent pepper trade, warehouses were
built and the Rajah’s soldiers stood guard over the godowns. The
damaged ships were repaired by the skilled workmen at the Cochin
shipyard and new ones were built at Cochin specially for the
Portuguese for their long voyage home. It is said that the
Portuguese in their subsequent voyages used the strong and durable
ships built of teak in the Cochin shipyard that extended on either
side of the Calvetti canal.
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