The First Protestant Christian of Travancore  kingdom ;  Part  IV

Vethamanickam and the establishment of the  first  Seven  LMS Churches in  Travancore :

Without wasting time Vethamanickam started to preach the Gospel of Christ  in South Travancore in and around Mylaudy . At first he  focused  his attention to convert his relatives and friends but unfortunately he was not so successful in that effort ,  but  the Nadars  of nearby villages readily and gladly listened to him and accepted the Gospel.Christ.

Thamraculam[South]  LMS Church::  After  Mylaudy ,  Vethmanickam  started his missionary work at South Thamarakulam and  he  was was privileged to proclaim the Gospel of Christ  to the people of South Thamarakulam  and they gladly accepted Christ and his Gospel. The people who accepted Christ from Thamaraculam were Vedamanickam Moopan of Santhivillay a suburb of the South Thamaraculam,  father of Devasagayam [a  teacher of this  place], Pakiamutthu Moopan, and Abraham Moopan, father of Arumanayagam Catechist [served as Supt of Mission fields] with all their  families; and these were the first deacons of the Thamaraculam  LMS Church.  Mylaudy  Masillamani who accompanied Vethamanickam to Chidambaram was appointed as the first Catechist of Thamaraculam LMS. Church by Ringeltaube.

Abraham  Moopan  [Perumal Nadar of Kottaiyadi]  was one among the first  three Moopans[  Deacon] of Thamaraculam LMS Church and he  was baptized by Rineltaube  at Thamarakulam LMS church in 1810. Later Abraham Moopan established a  Church [LMS] in his  native village Kotaiyadi.  Abraham Moopan begot Royan , Royan begot Arumainayagam[served as  Superintendent  of  Thamaraculam  LMS  Mission paddy fields], Arumainayagam begot Daniel Vathiar , and Daniel begot the famous lawyer   Packiaraj  and Packiaraj served as the Superintendent of Thamaraculam Mission paddy fields  etc, of CSI Kanyakumari Diocese.

Till the end 1809 there was only one Church that of Mylaudy for the use of Christians in South Travancore . So Ringeltaube obtained Government permission in the beginning 1810  to build Churches in six other places Ringeltaube immediately  began  to build small  Chapels at the required places.  So a small Church building was constructed at  Thamarakulam [South] and the Thamaraculam Church was dedicated on the  10th March 1810 . On that day Mr Ringeltaube baptized  40   people and two days after 12 persons were baptized.

Puthalam and Ettambully  LMS Churches :  From Thamaraculam ,   Maharasan  Vethamanickam began the preaching the Gospel of Christ  in the villages  on the western side of Thamarakulam,  a few men  in Puthalam and Ettambully accepted the Gospel of Christ.  When Ringeltaube heard this glad news ,  he ardently visited these two village and  spiritually encouraged them.  Ringeltaube promised them to build Churches for them,  for which permission was applied forthwith.  Vethamanickam  had been  preaching the Gospel  and he was enthusiastically supported by his sons Devasagayam and Moses , his nephew Masillamani , Gnanamuthu the head man of Vethamanickam' family and some others.

Puthalam Church  building was a decent and modest building and it  was built  mainly through the exertions of Gnanamuthu the headman of the Mylaudy family.  The Puthalam church was dedicated on the 20th July, 1810 .The decent and clean dress of the converts on the occasion of the dedication of the Church  and their conduct and behavior in general pleased the Missionaries.    Mylaudy  Vethamanickam's eldest son Devasagayam was appointed as the first Catechist  of Puthalam LMS Church.

Picheikudiyirupu, Covilviley and  Athicad LMS Churches:

Ringeltaube  with Vethamanickam and others  often traveled from village to village and preached the Gospel of Christ in many villages and consequently many people  from Picheikudiyirupu, Athicad and Covilviley  accepted Christ and were ready for  baptism ,so Ringeltaube wrote to Mr  Koklhoff and obtained a few hands of trained catechists from Vethamanicakm's class from  Tanjore and Trichinopoly  and appointed them as Catechists over the new congregations.

The Athicad LMS Church was dedicated on the 28th July 1810,  by  Mr. Ringeltaube and he gave the sermon  based on the text Hebrew 12:22 and he enlightened  the people about the delights of Mount Zion and the heavenly Jerusalem

Ettambully LMS Church ; The Church initially  erected at Ettambully  was burnt down by the anti  christian elements  and so  Ringeltaube  made arrangements to build the second Church at Ettambully . The Second Church was dedicated on the 14th October 1810. On this historical occasion Ringeltaube baptized 32 coverts and preached on a touching topic "'What shall I do to be saved ["  Agur, CHT,Page,556].

Ammandivilley LMS Church :   By the tireless missionary efforts of  Mylaudy  Masillamani catechist , many people from Ammandivillai accepted the Gospel Of Christ , on hearing the good news Mr. Ringeltsube with a burning desire  visited  Ammandivilley and the people of the Ammandivilley  , erected a nice small  "Pandal" and in which they received him. He  preached the Gospel from the latter portion of  the St. Mathew, about the judgement day on the 24th February 1810,  In the night  of the same day Ringeltaube was sitting on the said Pandal and reading and explaining  the Holy Bible  and  while he was explaining the gospel to the  people  in the lamp light , a child of one of those present,  4 or 5 years old and borne lame, left his mother and crawling unobserved towards Ringeltaube and caught his feet.  Ringeltaube spontaneously took the child in his hands without knowing that it was a lame one . Agur writes , "curious to say the child walked from the very moment .  This incident produced great excitement and wonder among the people. We have given  the  story just as it is traditionally current among the people and believed by them to this day"[ Agur, CHT. P.557-558]

Some historical background  and High Lights:

By the dedicated missionary work of Vethamanickam and his team of missionary workers, the Protestant Church was growing in a notable way and dimension in South Travancore  even during those not so easy and difficult  days.  The first Political Resident and British representative ,Col. Macaulay retired from his work on the 4th march 1810, Col Maccaulay  presided  over the affairs of Travancore and Cochin from 1800 for ten years  in a very efficient manner and distinctive  style .C.M. Agur writes ,"He did so much good to the Travancore Church that he richly deserves to be called the "Father of the christian missions in Travanore" [C.H.T. Page.561].   Col . Macaulay was succeeded by an officer who was equally ardent and much willing to do good to the Christian  Mission  , by name  Col Munro .[ Agur, CHT p 561].

LMS Church Register  for  1810  in South Travancore :

Name of the Churh                                        Baptized
Mylaudy                                                             46
Pichukudieruppu                                                 32
Puthalam                                                            57
Kivilvilley                                                           64
Athicodoo                                                         52
Ettambolly                                                         43
Thamaraculam                                                 128
                                                                    ---------
                                              Total                 422
                                                                    ----------
.

Thus under the inspiring leadership and guidance  of Mr. Ringeltube , Mylaudy Vethamanickam , and his family members  Gnanamuthu , Masillamani , Devasahayam  and others  were doing excellent evangelical and missionary work in South Travancore  and had been establishing many Churches  and  God was  admitting many converts into His Body , the Church. The Church was growing day by day quantitatively and qualitatively.

                   Statistics of the Protestant mission [LMS]in Travancore 1815

Name of the congregation                 members      School boys 
Mylaudy                                                   174                 32
Picheikudierupu                                         30                 33
Temereycoolam [Thamraculam]             218                 27 
Puttalam  [Puththalam]                            116                 28
Atticaud   [Athicadu]                                  50                 25
Covilvilley  [covilcilai]                               57                 34
Eetamboly Eetammozhi]                          102                   9
                                                           -----------               --------
                                                Total         747               188
                                                           -------------           -------------
The initiative taken by Mr. Ringeltaube and  Vethmanickam to get the Grant of Paddy-fields ;

Unfortunately Ringeltaube's  health  began to fail and so he called , Vethamanickam and told his intention of leaving  Travancore  soon. Vethamanickam was overwhelmed  with great sorrow. However Vethamanickam with great vision told Ringeltaube that  when Mr. Schwartz established the Churches of Tanjore , he obtained free grants of lands from Maha Rja of of  Tanjore,  for the help of the Churches in Tanjore Missson and also told that those lands were very useful to the Mission to meet the administrative expenses of the Church , and requested Ringeltaube to  secure some grants of land for the planting of London Missionary Churches in Travancore. This appeal appealed him so Ringeltaube took necessary efforts to to secure some grants of lands  for LMS , Mylaudy mission ,  from the Government of Travancore  .This proposal assumed definite shape only in 1812, and this proposal  was  properly submitted and it was favorably received by the Resident Col. Munro.

In the selection of lands ,Ringeltaube left the matter in the hands of Vethamanickam and his nephew Masillamani the Catechist of Ettamboly.and they selected the Surcar fields at Tamarakulam[North] and Vayilauculam.  Ringeltaube  requested the Ranee, to give these Sircar fields as grant to LMS Mylaudy Mission  with  100  Cottah of tax. Fortunately Ranee Lakshi Bai [Queen of Travancore] consented to this proposal.  Mr.Ringeltaube sent  Mr Gnanamuthu the head man of Vethamanickam's family to Trivandrum and there  he waited  a few days and received the Royal Grant  of 110 acres and 18 cents of land in Thamrakulam Village and 22.52 acres of land in Kulasekaram village from the Ranee Lakshmi Bai  . Gnanamuthu brought the documents of the Royal  Grant  to the Missionary Ringeltaube [Agur, CHT . Page.601  &AP. Vallinayagam , Mahathma  Pooavukku Mun Maha Rasan Vethamanickam , page .238, Madurai, 2005]]. [But during the period of Mr.Mead the tax was reduced from 100 Cootahs  to a nominal tax of one Cottah.  ]

Vethamanickam and educational revolution in South Travancore;     Where ever , Vethamancickam and Ringeltaube  built Churches they also  started Schools   in those villages and places.  .As great visionary Vethamanicakm encouraged and inspired  Revd. W.T. Ringeltaube to  establish  an  English School  at Mylaudy , to give English education to the poor and under privileged  children of Mylaudy and the nearby villages and so  he sold  his land  at a nominal price  to the Mylaudy LMS Mission. The first English School in Travancore  was built in 1809  at   Mylaudy by Revd .W.T. Ringeltaube in the land which he bought from Vethamanickm at a nominal price.  That tiny little school at that tiny idyllic  village Mylaudy was the forerunner of the famous Scott christian College, Nagercoil  and became  the  first cradle of English Education in Travancore and laid the foundation for the educational and intellectual revolution of this part of the world..

Vethamanickam  received the Charge of  the Mission  from Revd.W.T. Ringeltaube:    As Ringeltaube could not get an European  Missionary within the stipulated time ,  to succeed him ; Revd. Ringeltaube decided to make his faithful and efficient native Catechist Vethamanickam as his successor till the Mission  gets  an European Missionary to take charge of the affairs of the LMS Mission , Travancore .  So in the end of January 1816 before leaving the country , Revd, W.T. Ringeltaube assembled all the converts in the Chapel at Mylaudy for Service and formally informed them of Vethamanickam's appointment to succeed him for the time being in the conduct of the Mission till  the arrival of another LMS  Misssionary and earnestly exhorted and  requested  them to show    Mylaudy  Maha Rasan Vethamanickam , all respect and obedience due to his new Position and  blessed all of them .

This was followed by the administration of  Lord's Supper . Then  Revd. W.T. Ringeltaube laid his hands on Maha Rasan Vethamanickam's head and sincerely  prayed  for  Vethamanickam to God and invoked his blessings on the newly ordained   Servant  of Jesus Christ. Mr. Ringeltaube took out his own surplice and put it on  Mylaudy Maha Rasan Vethamanickam and charged him most solemnly in the presence of of the people and before God to faithfully feed his flock . Revd. W.T .Ringeltaube handed over to Maha Rasan Vethamanickam his Certificate and license to preach and  and  administer  the sacraments and manage the Mission , written in English and Tamil which is still  preserved in the family .[C.M.Agur,  Church History of Travancore , Page. 613-614].

                                                              "The Certificate"

                          This is to certify as founder of the Protestant Mission in Travancore which  I have on account of the weak state of my body, I hereby exercise the right and duty of Missionary in appointing the oldest Catechist Vedamanickam to act as Native Priest and Superintendent of the said Mission ad-interim till another Missionary may have been appointed . In this capacity he is to teach and preach the pure word of God , to administer the Holy Sacraments , to administer the Estate of the Churches consisting of two fields given by a Royal Grant which Grant is in his keeping , to dismiss and place schoolmasters , and if required to account with the Sircar of the country for the Mission prosperity and which  fruitions are to cease on the appointment of another Missionay by the Resident in power.  I hereby request all Gentlemen in authority to assist the said Vedamanickam in his official capacity  in all things that  are lawful and  permitted by the word  of  God  and  the constitution of Travancre.  

                                                       Witness my scal in Hand ,
                                                  [Signd]  William T . Ringeltaube,
                                                  Protestant Missionary in Travancore .


MYLAUDY,            }
23rd January 1816. }
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The Part Final will Follow soon {An Estimate about his Work and Service and his death].
P. BABU MANOHARAN.[Rights reserved}[ It will be modified or altered if needed later ]