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| Pilgrims on the way |
Thomas, one of the disciples of Jesus, is believed to
have come personally to India to propagate his master’s religion. An early 3rd-century
text titled Acts of Thomas narrates the story of Jesus sending
Thomas, a carpenter by profession, to India. Thomas was supposed to help build
the palace of Gondophares, founder of the Indo-Parthian kingdom and ruler from
19 to 46 CE. One of the traders from Gondophares’s kingdom brought Thomas with
him to India. According to the text, King Gondophares gave a huge sum of money
to Thomas for constructing the palace. Instead of constructing the palace,
Thomas distributed the money among the poor people. Infuriated, the King
imprisoned Thomas. Soon the King’s brother died. This brother made an
apparition to the King and revealed to him that Thomas had constructed a palace
for the King in heaven. Pleased with that, the King released Thomas from prison.
The King and his subjects all accepted the religion of Thomas.
The authenticity of this story is
disputable though King Gondophares was real. It is also true that there were
trade relations between the Roman Empire and many Eastern countries like India.
There is evidence that Rome started trade relations with South India during the
period of Augustus Caesar [c BCE 40]. Egypt had already become part of the
Roman Empire and Alexandria was the centre of these trade connections. Pepper
was the most precious commodity that the Romans took from South India. The
Malabar coast had pepper in abundance.
It is quite possible that Thomas
reached Kerala in one of the many ships that came from Rome in those days in search
of pepper and other spices. In The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,
Edward Gibbon writes that every year, just before the end of summer, about 120
ships set sail to the Malabar coasts and Ceylon from the Egyptian port of Mios
Hormis. There is ample evidence that Kodungalloor in Kerala was one of the
ports that the Romans frequented. The prominent tradition among Kerala’s
Christians is that Thomas, Jesus’ disciple, landed in Kodungalloor. Possible.
One of the many places that Thomas is
believed to have prayed at is Malayattoor, a hill near Kochi. That hill is a
forest even now though not densely wooded. One of the information boards on top
of the hill says that the hill was an impenetrable forest in the olden days.
Why on earth would Thomas climb that forest to pray is a mystery. Now there is
a trekking path well-trodden by thousands of pilgrims over the years. It took
about two hours for Maggie and me to reach the pilgrimage centre on top though
we took the traditional track. I think it would be a grave understatement to
say that Thomas was very adventurous.
The pilgrimage season has only just
started. So the place was not too crowded. In a week’s time the tracks will be
full of pilgrims. May Saint Thomas bless them with a lot of goodness! 
On top of the hill
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| A pillar of the chapel |
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| The lake at the foot of the hill |
Hari Om
ReplyDeleteIt has not been uncommon for all early ascetics (of all philosophical backgrounds) to seek out solitary and often difficult places for meditation/prayer/contemplation and whatever other 'ation' applies to the practice of their faith. Even all around the place I live are settlements named KIL-something, Kilmun, Kilmartin, Kilmalcom and so forth. Kil is the gaelic word for cell. Early monks travelling to spread the word would find little caves, or build very small, single-room shelters (cells) in which to sit with themselves. Which is all to say, that I think it entirely possible and likley that Thomas would have made that forest trek in service of his own "sadhana". What he would make of all those folk and those constructions growing up around his 'footprints' though, might be worth contemplating on! YAM xx
I can accept that. Once I visited Badrinath and saw the cave of a sage who lived in that place throughout the year. That's quite a feat given the severity of the winter in that place. I saw similar ascetics in other places too - Kedarnath, etc.
DeleteInteresting to learn about the potential connection between Saint Thomas and India, and how trade relations between Rome and South India could have facilitated his arrival. The story of Thomas distributing money to the poor and constructing a palace in heaven is thought-provoking. It's also fascinating to hear about the pilgrimage to Malayattoor and how it has evolved over time. Thanks for sharing this informative post, Matheikal!
ReplyDeleteWelcome.
DeleteThat story about the palace is apocryphal. Thomas reaching Kerala is more probable.
There is another very intriguing theory about Jesus coming to India through the Kashmir route and staying incognito for a while there. I don't know how historically correct that data is. But I believe he interacted with other yogis aand monks there and exchanged spiritual notes which seems possible because Spiritual Leaders do interact with sadhaks of other religions.
ReplyDelete