User:Jomonkc/Kavanadiyil

Kavanadiyil is a famous & ancient catholic family in Kerala.Kavanadiyil family is originated from 'SHANKARAPURI', A famous ancient Bhramin family.

web:http://www.kavanadiyil.in

History

It is a very difficult task to prepare the KAVANADIYIL family history of 2000 years as no effort so far has been undertaken in this direction. The Kerala tradition do not have a system of recording and handing over the details of historical incidents and records. Hence we have to depend on the church history, social history, oral tradition and legends handed down the generations to distill history out of them.

At the time of St:Thomas some of the Hindhus changed into Christianity. At first4 major Bhramin family received baptism from St:Thomas, they are "KALLI, KALIKAVU, SHANKARAPURI & PAKALOMATTAM".Kavanadiyil is one of the family formed from SHANKARAPURI....

The Saint Thomas Christians are a group of Christians from the Malabar coast (now Kerala) in South India, who follow Syriac Christianity. [1] The different groups and denominations within the St Thomas Christians together form the Nasrani people. [1] Their tradition goes back to the very beginnings of first century Christian thought, and the seven churches that are believed to have been established by St. Thomas the Apostle.

St.Thomas Christian Tradition

St. Thomas, the apostle after the Pentecost day, did missionary work in Persia, North India & Afghanistan. He visited Jerusalem at the death of Mother Mary, mother of Jesus and attended the Jerusalem Synod in A.D 50.

Then he journeyed to South India and landed at the chera capital port of Cranganore or Moziris in Kerala. After this he traveled to South East Indian shore and did missionary activity there. In A.D. 72, at the port city of Mylapore, south of Chennai the old Madras city he was martyred.

The living testimony of St. Thomas mission in India is the enlivening presence of the St. Thomas Christians in Kerala and their living traditions. His tomb is not claimed by any other people in the world requires a special note. The mortal remains of St. Thomas, wherever it is kept like Edessa, Orthona etc certifies that it is brought from India. The fact that the tomb of St. Thomas is 1500 kms away from Trichur in Chennai coast and the solemn celebration of St. Thomas Day (Dukrana) on July 3 when Kerala is having incessant rain by Syrian Christians here is a living concrete testimony of the St. Thomas connection of Kerala Christians.

St. Thomas came to Palayur in 52-54 A D. Palayur was one of the 64 Brahmin villages in South India. St. Thomas conversed with the Brahmin priests performing rituals (Pithirpuja) at "Thaliyakulam" before Palayur Shivashetram. He had seen them throwing water upwards into air while performing rituals. St.Thomas asked them why does the water fall back to the ponds, if your gods receive them. He said that if he prays in the presence of living god, the water will stay in air. Because it was against the natural laws, they said they will take his advice and follow the new path, if it happens so. And it so happened and the Brahmins present there immediately took baptism from St.Thomas himself.

The four families ordained as clergies were from the Brahmin families of Pakalomattom (Pakalomattam), Kalli, Sankarapuri, Kalikavu. It may be because they were already doing priestly activities. Traditionally it is believed that high priests (bishops) were the exclusive rights of Pakalomattam family.

St. Thomas also founded seven churches at the following places: Maliankara, Palayur, Kottakavu, Quilon, Niranom, Nilakkal, and Chayal. After several years of work in Malabar, the Apostle went to the Coromandel Coast (East Coast) where he was assassinated by irate Brahmins (or by a hunter) in 72 A.D. This tradition along with many others legends is found in ancient Christian songs (seventeenth century and later) like the Veeradian Pattu, Thomma Parvom, and Margom Kali Pattu. The Acts of St. Thomas, an apocryphal work by the Syrian Bardesan (220 A.D.) also mentions the missionary work and martyrdom of St. Thomas in India.

Many modern historians are of the opinion that Brahmins did not reach kerala before the 4th century. The Brahmin supremacy of Kerala became evident by the 8th century. This coincides with the decline of Budhism and Jainism in Kerala, largely due to the Advaita movement of Sankaracharya, (788-820 AD). But this does not mean that no Brahmins were there in the south.

Were there Brahmins in Kerala in 1st century?

Kerala was known to Vedic Aryan's even in Rigvedic Period 5000 years ago. In the Sanskrit Sloka defining India starring "Uttaram Yat Samudrasya", the geographical boundaries were given in Rig Veda. In the Mahabharata war (dated at 1400 B.C. by Pagiter) Kerala Chief Participated by giving food to both sides. He is called "Perumchottudian" in the epic. The epic Mahabharata mentions the kings by the name "Pandyancha Cheralan". In Rig Vedic Nadi Suktam or sloka of rivers which name the rivers. "Imam me Ganga, Yamuna" etc. the river Kaveri is mentioned. Hence after knowing Kerala for three thousand years, the Brahmins never came to Kerala for three millenniums is an absurd theory.

The Buddhism and Jainism were very strong in Kerala, but that does not mean that Sanatana dharma, with its intellectual missionary vanguard, the Brahmins were absent in Brahminism, and were in essence Hindi reform movements. Hence to say that the reform movements were here, but the original Brahmins and Hinduism were not here, is quite absurd. Aryans and their Indian forefront the Brahmins were very good travelers. They started from the Bohoemian Plateau by 3000 B.C. By 2300 B.C.they traveled 2500kms and captured the Indus Valley, destroying Harappa and Mogenjodaro. Their western cousins reached Palestine as Hittiles and were fighting Eyptian Pharoah Rameses II in the Battle of Kadesh in 1545 B.C. They traveled 2000 kms in 1000 years. They reached Greece as Dorians and conquered Greek Dorians and conquered Greek Peninsula by 1250 B.C. They reached Rome and Italian Peninsula by 756 B.C. They overran Spain and Britain by 55 B.C. They took only 1000 years to overran the whole of Europe. From sind to the conquest of Gangetic basin they took less than 1000 years. Hence to argue that the Aryans will take more than 2500 years to reach Kerala, to say the least is foolishness. TheMooshika Vamsam Kavyam shows that the Haihayas reached Payyannur (North Kerala), in the 5th century B.C. Parasurama came at this time. The Parasurama legend shows the Aryanisation of western coat including Kerala. Hence the Brahmins reached Kerala in the 5th century B.C.

The confusion was created when the word Nampoothiri was used in the Palayur conversion story. Nampoothiri Brahmins are the Maratha Brahmins, who came as invaders to Kerala. Parasuramas rules in the Narmada Valley of Maharashtra. A Malwa king named Parasurama is supposed to have invaded Kerala and brought the Brahmins by force. "Illam" the word came from Marathi word "Illu" which means house. As they came by rowing in boats they were called Nayambu = Row, and Nayambu - Thiris. This coming of Maratha Brahmins to Kerala, may have happened in the 4th and 5th centuries and by 6th century they got the caste Name Nampoothiri. By 8th century Sankaracharya a Nampoothiri is seen carrying his Sankara Dig Viyayam throughout India.

In the Sanghakala works we come across Brahmins by name "Anthanar". The second century Sanghakala poet Kapilar was a Anthanar Brahmin. The anthanar is used even by Ramapurathu warrier in his Vanchipattu. Agsthya and Tholkapiyar B.C. IInd century to A.D. IInd century the precursors of Tamil literature were Brahmins. In B.C. second century itself the King Chandragupta Maurya resigned and came along with sanyasis and Brahmins to Sravana Belagola in South Karnataka and lived there. Another 150kms of travel and the Brahmins could reach Kerala. The Parasurama legend shows large scale migration of Brahmins to Kerala. Chanakya, the Black Brahmin Prime Minister of Chandragupta Maurya in B.C. 3rd century was a South country is Kollam. In the Panthrirukulam story Vararuchi, one of the Navaratnas of Vikramaditya (AD. 320-360) is shown as visiting Kerala. All this shows that Brahmins were only Pandits and not the ruling class. The early chaldean and mesopotomian languages also indicate Indian religion and the word used is Brahmin.

These are the Brahmins met by St. Thomas in Palayur. The epithet Nampoothiri was a later addition in the 16th century. Hence when we read Nampoothiri it may be understood as Brahmin or Anthanar.