Rev. N. Devadasan [Home Church], a Brahmin Convert married  Vethamanickam's Granddaughter :   Part  final :

Rev N. Devadasan and   Mrs. Sathiyayi  Devadsan  :   Really Sathyayi Devadsan was a real blessing to N. Devadasan in all senses of the the  word.  Really her worth was more and far above rubies. She was modest, clever ,educated, cultured well versed in Bible knowledge ;she was externally and internally beautiful and she  loved , helped and obeyed  her husband . They  lovingly lived  together for 10 years as a blessed married  couple, till death separated Sathiyayi  from her loving husband  Rev. N. Devadasan,  in 1852.. As a cute flower blossomed in the family garden of Maharasan Vethamanicakm  of Myladdy,  Mrs.Sathiyayi lived up to the  expectation of her Husband in all  the ways and respects.  It is written that Sathiyayi  loved her husband so much and during her 10 continued connubial life ; she  never  spoke any angry or disobedient word against her husband .  Connubial  harmony  was the hallmark of their conjugal  life. This lovely couple was blessed with 4 lovely Children and unfortunately 3 out of them died even before the death of Sathiyayi.. Unfortunately Sathiyayi died  on 5th  March,  1852 . On account of the death of his beloved wife  Sathiyayi , Rev. N. Devadasan,  was again stranded in life with great grief and immersed  into dreary deep  sand of dismay and disappointment.

Rev N. Devadasan   reconciled with his first wife Lakshmi  : After the demise of Sathiyayi , Devadasan sent  a message to  Lakshmi [his maternal uncle's daughter and his first wife]and told her if she was unwilling to come and live with him he would marry another woman. Lakshmi was then 22 years old , and she informed her consent to Devadsan  through a letter.  So  arrangement was made to bring Lakshmi to Jamestown, near kanyakumari, with the help Mrs. Annaml Gnanakan of Thittuvilai and accordingly Lakshmi arrived at Jamestown with Annamal.   Arrngements were made for a Christian marriage and her name Lakshmi was changed into Yesu Nesam . On the 1st November 1852.  the marriage of Devadasan and Yesunesam [Lakshmi] was solemnized  by Neyyoor Devasahayam   at James Town  LMS Church.. After the marriage, Yesunesam was given training in  general education and Bible , in the Rev Russell Girls School and subsequently Yesu Nesam  was baptized by Rev Russell .   God blessed their married  life  with  3 children .  Like Sathiyayi  , this Yesy Nesam[Lakshmi] was also a modest and God fearing woman and so Devadasan and Yesy Nesam   lived a happy life, till her death  on 1st march , 1881.,

Devadasan as Inspector of Schools and Inspecting  Catechist  :   Rev. Mault and Rev, Russell  took a keen interest on Devadasan and taught him the basic  Christain Theology and also  sent him to the Nagecoil Seminary to study English.  But  after some months he discontinued and assumed  to work as  the Inspector of the Mission schools at   the following  villages :Panagudi, Maruthapuram, Erathapuram, Kudangulam , Kanyakumari , Mylaudy, Oyaravillai , Puthukiramam, and Therur .  Moreover he was requested to preach the gospel in  the LMS  Churches in those villages.  During that period, Rev. Russell built some Schools , and a bungalow,  at  Pichaikudieruppu near Anjugramam and christened that place as James Town by his own name and  started to work  as the  the  Pastorate Pastor of the Churches at  the James Town  Pastorate.   N. Devasadasan  was appointed as an Assitant   to Rev. Russell   and in that capacity Devadasan started to preach the gospel of Christ to the people in and around James Town  specially among the non Christians. By nature Devadasan loved  and helped the poor people very much . Devadasan taught the people to pray, and to be clean  and  also to keep their  houses  clean and tidy.

Evangelist Devadasan won Nathanuel Chettiar for Christ: : , Devadasan  took  additional and sincere interest to preach the Gospel , throughout  South Travancore.  But unfortunately there was no  proper record about the souls  that Devadasan won for Christ.  Devadasan and Sathiyanathan Reader  used to conduct open air gospel meetings  to preach the gospel to the non Christians and in one such meeting ,one Hindu person [His Hindu name was not known] from Kottar as an onlooker heard Devadasan's message with interest and Devasdasan gave him a Christian book ..After some time Devadasan went to his house and discussed with him about Christ and his teachings.  Devadasan  used  to meet that particular person   often and on account of such meetings a lasting  friendship developed  between Devadasan  and  that  Hindu; after some time   that man accepted  Christ and changed his name as Nathanuel and became  a very staunch and popular Christian among the Christians at Nagercoil . Nathaneul and his whole family accepted Christ   and by the efforts of Nathanuel Chettiar,  a Church was established at Kottar.  In 1866 when Four Deacons were ordained at Home Church , Nathanuel was one among them . For many years Nathanuel Chettiar served as  a  Deacon of the Nagercoil Home Church  along with Daniel Parananadam  and others. Nathanuel Chettiar's descendants are still living with us.

N. Devadasan was ordained as a Pastor of Nagercoil Home Church in 1866  :  The year 1866  was an important Milestone in the history of the LMS in South Travancore.  On 13th  February , 1866 Rev , Dr, Mullens , ordained  N. Devadasan as  a  native pastor of Nagercoil Home Church . This historical function was attended by all the leading LMS Misionaries and  leading Christian  leaders of the day along with the Church members  of the Home Church.  On this historical occasion  the  "Certificate of Ordination" was also given to  Rev N. Devadasan  signed by the LM S Misssonaries who were there to bless the occasion .The following Missionaries signed the Certificate of  ordination :  Rev.Joseph Mullens,  D,D  ,  Rev.Frederick Baylis,   Rev. James Duthie ,  Re.V. Samuel Mateer,   Rev. Dr. John Lowe,  Rev. Goodeve Mabbs,   Rev.George Oliver New Port  . Rev. William Lee  and Rev. Frederick Wilkinson .  This historical day of 13th February is being celebrated as the Church Day of the Home Church, Nagercoil   ever since that day ,[ 13 , February 1866.]. He was not only the first Indian Pastor of Nagercoil Home church , but also  he  was one of the best  and fruitful Pastors of the Home Church, Nagercoil.

Rev. N Devadasan  Passed Away : The sudden and unexpected death of his children  one by one, affected Rev. N. Devadasan , mentally and physically . The heartless cruel death snatched his beloved daughter Marthal at the tender age of 21, from this world and Devadasan ;  on 20th May, 1864.  Marthal's death affected him beyond words.  While as  man of God  he was trying to recover  from  grief  ,with help the words of God,  his another  beloved daughter Nesammal  , who was very cute, modest also died unexpectedly . Rev Devadasan  liked Nesammal  a very much as he liked Marthal .  This lovely Nesammal was married to Mr. Daniel and  within one year her married life , she  died unexpectedly  on 19, March, 1872..  Devadasan's sadness reached no bounds . After exactly two years  , his another lovely and God fearing daughter Annal also died due to a gruesome  fire accident . Trials ,troubles , tribulations and deaths ,one by one haunted and mentally killed Devadasan .  However  like Job of the Bible ,  Devadasan did not say anything against God. The deaths of his beloved children affected  his physical health and mental peace to very great extent and as result ; on 10th , January, 1874, Rev. N. Devadasan  passed away from the world.

An  estimate about the great man  Rev . N. Devadasan  :    Rev. N. Devadasan was a rare and remarkable person, he was was liked and respected both by the Christians and the non Christians . He was a social Thinker and Revolutionary ;  even though he was born in an orthodox Brahmin family  ,he stood above the petty walls of caste , color and creed . He was one the pioneer converts, to Christianity from Brahmin Communty .  He embraced Christianity even  before Pandit Ramabai.  Devavadasan was really a born  again christian ."There is neither Jew nor Greek there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female ; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" : Late Rev.N. Devadasan , the first Indian Pastor of the Nagercoil Home Church  followed  these words of the Holy Bible and practiced in life . Rev.N .Devadasan's 50th death anniversary was celebrated at Nagercoil Home Church on 28th July , 1925,  on this occasion  a Memorial Tablet was dedicated and declared opened in memory of Rev. N, Devadasan  .  On that historical occasion, Rev. J.M Kesari, and  Rev J.N. Ambrose , paid  fitting tributes to the late Rev.N. Devadasan . Let me conclude  his life sketch with the words of his Memorial Tablet fixed inside the wall of Nagercoil Home Church.  His inner beauty, spiritual splendor , humanism  and his simple faith in  Christ  are the hallmarks of his biography.

                                                     In Loving  Memory of
                                                      Rev. N .Devadasan
                   WHO BEING A BRAHMIN BY BIRTH ,RENOUNCED HINDUISM AND WHOLE-HEARTEDLY ACCEPTED JESUS CHRIST AS HIS BELOVED LORD AND SAVIOUR .BORN DEC.1814. CONVERTED JULY 1839. LABOURED AT JAMES TOWN. ORDAINED AS THE FIRST INDIAN PASTOR OF HE NAGERCOIL CHURCH ON 13TH FEBRUARY 1866,. ENTERED INTO THE  JOY OF HIS MASTER ON THE 10TH JANUARY1874.

                   HIS WAS A LIFE OF APOSTOLIC LABOURS , COMPLETE SELF DENIAL AND SIMPLE FAITH.
                   THIS TABLET HAS BEEN RAISED BY THE NAGERCOIL CHURCH.

                                     [ This Post will be updated in due course of time]
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