Co Founder of the Protestant Christianity in South Travancore, The Man who Built the First Protestant Church and English School in Travancore, A man who Fought against Cruel Taxes Rev. W.T. Ringel Taube. PART FINAL.

Rev. W.T. Ringel taube reached Mylaudy on 25th of April 1806:   On the 13th of April 1806, Mr Ringel Taube left Palayamcottah, taking a few men with him and started his journey towards Mylaudy in Travancore.  He did not travel straight but passed though some important congregations at Manappar, Trichendur, Alvar Tirunelveli, Samariapuram, Vundunculam and reached Vadakankukualm on the 24th of April 1806 and spent the night at Vadakanculam. During the early morning of 25th April 1806, Ringel Taube left Vadakankulam in Tirunelveli district, and travelled, and at noon he reached Aralvaoimozhi in South Travancore and passed through the Aramboli Ghat, the great green doorway to Travancore.  He reached Mylaudy the native Village of Maharasan Vethamanicakm, on the 25th of April 1806 and stayed at their small house for two days., where Mr. Ringel Taube preached and prayed, and spent the Lord's Day at Mylaudy. Next day a catechist from neighbouring district came to meet Ringel Taube and whose temporary care Ringel Taube left the infant flock at Mylaudy, on the arrangement that he has to come to Mylaudy once a week. Then Ringel Taube left Mylaudy and proceeded to Cochin to meet the British Resident Colonel Macaulay. to get permission to build a Christian Chapel at Mylaudy, and also to get some other reasonable favour and permissions. 

                                                       

                                                             Rev. W.T. RINGEL TAUBE 

Ringel Taube's Second Visit to Mylaudy and He baptised Forty Converts:  When the new converts from Mylaudy, promised that they will bear all the trials for Christ, Rev. Ringel Taube baptised the new converts.  The first to baptised were Vethamanickam's household, excluding Vethamanicakm for he had been already baptised by Rev J.C. Kohlhoff at Tanjore. Next, he baptised Mr Perumal the head of Vethamanickam's family with a new name Gnanamuthu. In all Mr Ringel Taube baptised forty persons with new names and most of them were Vethamannikam's near and distant relatives. Before Mr. Ringel Taube left Mylaudy, he requested Vethamanicakm, to build a small prayer house or Chapel near his house, till the sanction for the permanent Church should come.

       THE FIRST PROTESTANT CHURCH BUILT in TRAVANCORE AT MYLAUDY 1809.

 The First Protestant Church Built at Mylaudy 1809:   After the war between the British and the Travancore Govt came to an end, Ringel Taube came back to Mylaudy and held a thanksgiving service with his Christian flock and praised God for their deliverance from the horrors of the late war. He then directly went to Quilon where he met Col. Macaulay and once more applied for permission to build the first protestant Church, long denied to him and returned to Mylaudy to resume his evangelical work. The long, awaited permission came. Ringel Taube showed it to Vethajmanicakam and consulted him about the selection of a suitable site for the erection of the sacred Church.  Vethamanicakm and Gnanamuthu came forward to give their lands as gift, but Ringel Taube bought their lands at a nominal price, and the lands were transferred to the LMS. In May 1809 the foundation of the Church was laid in Vethamanickam's ground when the garden was still bearing the gingelly crop.  During this time Ringel Taube proposed to build a small bungalow near the Church ground. For the time being he occupied a small native hut near the selected spot, ten by six, furnished with a small native wooden table, one or two stools and a native cot. The newly built church at Mylaudy, was dedicated in September in 1809 by Rev. W.T. Ringel Taube and administered the Lord's Supper to the Christians This was the first protestant Church that was built Travancore.  To mark this important occasion Mr. Ringel Taube formally made Vethamanicakm, a Catechist. Having been made a Catechist at the end of 1809, Vethamanicakm entered upon his evangelical and ministerial work with all enthusiasm, zeal and joy [ Agur 554].

Rev. Ringel Taube and Vethamanickam established the first Seven LMS Churches in Travancore:  Having been made a catechist in 1809 by Rev. Ringel Taube, catechist Vethamanicakam entered upon his evangelical work with great enthusiasm and energy, and 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  Vethamanickam and accepted the Gospel of. Christ. Till the end 1809 there was only one Church that of Mylaudy for the use of Christians in South Travancore and so Rev. Ringel Taube obtained Travancore Government's permission in the beginning 1810, to build Churches in six other places. Ringel Taube immediately began to build small Chapels at the required places.           

Thamraculam[South]  LMS Church:   After  Mylaudy,  Vethmanickam  started his missionary work at South Thamarakulam and  he  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 Mr.Ringel Taube 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. A small Church building was constructed at  Thamarakulam [South] and was dedicated on the 10th of March 1810 by W.T. Ringel Taube. On that day Mr RingeTaube, baptized 40 people and two days after 12 persons were baptized.

                                                 

Puthalam LMS Church:  From Thamaraculam,  Maharasan Vethamanickam began the preaching of 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 villages 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, and Gnanamuthu the head man of Vethamanickam's 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 of July 1810 by Rev. W. T Ringel taube.  The decent and clean dress of the converts on the occasion of the dedication of the Church and their conduct and behaviour in general pleased the missionaries. Maharasan  Vethamanickam's eldest son Devasagayam was appointed as the first Catechist of Puthalam L.M.S. Church.

Picheikudiyirupu, Covilviley and  Athicad LMS Churches:  Rev. Ringel Taube with Vethamanickam and others  often travelled 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 of July 1810, by Mr. Ringeltaube and he delivered 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 Mr. Ringel Taube made arrangements to build the second Church at Ettambully . The Second Church was dedicated on the 14th of October 1810 by Rev. W.T. Ringel Taube.  

Ammandivilley LMS Church:   By the tireless missionary efforts of  Mylaudy  Catechist Masillamani many people from Ammandivillai accepted the Gospel of Christ, on hearing the good news Mr. Ringel Taube 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 born 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, and Mr. 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"[ C.M..Agur, CHT. P.557-558].

Rev. W.T. Ringel Taube was a Social Reformer, and he abolished many oppressive Taxes;  Rev. W.T Ringel Taube was a great and sharp social thinker. He took proper steps and abolished many oppressive taxes and services with the help of British Residents, under which some sections of the people were groaning and made justice equally accessible to all classes of subjects. Maharasan Vethamanickam very eagerly brought to the kind attention of WT Ringel Taube about the unjust nature of some of the taxes and the disabilities under which the poorer class laboured and ultimately succeeded in his attempts. Some backward communities in Travancore had to pay Poll tax not only for its young and old members but also for the dead. Mr. Ringel Taube was convinced by Vethamanicakm that it was his duty to endeavour to abolish the iniquitous tax and seek relief for the sake of the poor Christians. Ringel Taube represented the grievances and sorrows of the poor classes to the Government, and his labours were blessed by God Col. Munro took such a lively interest in the matter in which Mr Ringel Taube interested himself. Ringel Taube was quite pleased to receive a communication from Col. Munro conveying to him the infromation that he had stipulated with the newly appointed Dewan Mr. Palpanaben that hence forward Mr. Ringel Taube's ChristianS should enjoy the privilege of being exempted from the Capitation Tax. The abolition of Poll tax brought great relief not only to the Christians but also gradually to all the Hindu Nadars and Elavars.[ Agur .576]. Ringel Taube took steps to abolish Sunday Ooliam [ Sunday work without wages]; Christians were forced to work on Sudays without wage by their so-called upper caste masters, but the servants of God namely Rev. W.T Ringel Taube and Vethamanicakm  saved the Christian from compulsory Sunday work, with the help of British Resident. Col. Munro.

Steps taken by Mr. Ringeltaube and Vethmanickam to get the Grant of Paddy-fields:Unfortunately Ringel Taube'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 Ringel Taube that when Mr. Schwartz established the Churches of Tanjore , he obtained free grants of lands from Maha Raja of  Tanjore,  for the help of the Churches in Tanjore Mission and also told that those lands were very useful to the Mission to meet the administrative expenses of the Church, and requested Ringel Taube to  secure some grants of land for the planting of London Missionary Churches in Travancore. This appeal appealed him, so Ringel Taube took necessary efforts to secure some grants of lands for Mylaudy LMS Mission, from the Government of Travancore.This proposal assumed definite shape only in 1812, and this proposal was properly submitted, and it was favourably received by the Resident Col. Munro.

In the selection of lands, Ringel Taube left the matter in the hands of Vethamanickam and his nephew Masillamani the Catechist of Ettamboly,.and they selected the Sircar fields at Tamarakulam[North] and Vayilauculam. Mr. Ringel Taube 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. Ringel Taube 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. Mr. Gnanamuthu brought the documents of the Royal Grant to the Missionary Ringel Taube [Agur, CHT . Page.601  &AP. Vallinayagam , Mahathma  Polakku 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. These properties helped the LMS in South Travancore to meet their necessary expenses to a great extent. 

In 1816 Rev W.T. Ringel taube relinquished His Connection with LMS and Left South Travancore: After twelve years of labour in South India, failure of health, through incessant toil in early 1816 Ringel Taube relinquished his connection with LMS .Vethamanickam received the Charge of the Mission from Revd. W.T. Ringel Taube.    As Ringel Taube could not get an European Missionary within the stipulated time, to succeed him, Revd. Ringel Taube decided to make his faithful and efficient native Catechist Vethamanickam as his successor till the Mission gets a European Missionary to take charge of the affairs of the LMS Mission, Travancore.  In the end of January 1816 before leaving the country , Revd, W.T. Ringel Taube 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 Missionary 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. Ringel Taube 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. Ringel Taube took out his own surplice and put it on Mylaudy Maha Rasan Vethamanickam and charged him most solemnly in the presence of the people and before God to faithfully feed his flock. Revd. W.T. Ringel Taube handed over to Maha Rasan Vethamanickam his Certificate and license to preach 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]. {I do not think that this certificate is now available in the houses of any of their family members.] The ten years from 1806 to 1816, may be regarded as comprising the first period in the history of the mission establishment by Mr. Ringel Taube. Mr. Ringe Taube left South Travancore and embarked early in 1816. How the end came to the Rev. William Tobias Ringel Taube, the splendid servant of Christ and the London Missionary Society, no man knows, nor does any man know the place of his rest.  

Conclusion: Rev. R.T. Ringel Taube was a keen observer of things, The distresses and the secular needs of the poor people in general and Christians in particular never escaped his notice. It is extremely interesting to observe the progress made by the pioneer and first Christian converts and how gradually they gained liberty from Government. But it is still more interesting to notice how far Christian missionaries in striving to get freedom of heathens chiefly of the humbler classes. By the efforts of W.T. Ringel Taube village Schools were started in all the Christian villages and Christians were liberated from ignorance. The Christians who belonged to the humbler castes became the pioneers of modern civilization in South Travancore.  By building village schools he removed ignaorancae and enlightened ignorant minds of the poor people, by building village chapels he lit spiritual light in the darkened minds of the marginalised people, by abolishing cruel taxes he laid the foundation for liberty and equality in South Travancore .Mr. T.W. Holmes writes in his book RINGEL TAUBE "The fact that he seldom wore a coat, except when somebody gave him gave him one, that he wore a shabby straw hat, that he wandered about Travancore living in common hut, made him if not less, but more impressive figure in the eyes of the people among whom he lived......" The author of Dr. Bunting's life, the great Wesleyan statesman -preacher writes," Ringel Taube's zeal and success as a missionary in Southern India are still had in remembrance". Rev. S. Mateer writes, " He was most generous and unselfish in regard to money. and is said to have distributed the whole of his quarter's salary almost as soon as it reached his hands".  It is not possible to cover all the chapters of the Rev. William Tobias Ringel Taubel within the space of his Blogpost and so I will end this Blogpost with the following sentence. ' Dear and respected Rev W.T.  Ringel Taube, we thank God for your meaningful Christian life, you were really a Christian Rishi, and we love you with great gratitude and respect. " 

 

References,   [1] C.M. Agur, Church History of Travancore, Madras 1903.                                                                      [2] T.W. HOLMES, RINGEL TAUBE.                                                                                                          [3] Rev. S. Mateer, The land of Charity, London, 1870                                                                                [4] P. Babu Manoharan, Mr. C.M. AGUR, B.A and MANY OTHER MILESTONES,,                                     Nagercoil. 2021.       

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By. P. Babu Manoharan, M.A [ All rights are reserved.  This Blogpost will be enlarged, modified or 

corrected later if needed].