Rock crosses of Kerala
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Kerala has many churches of antiquity. It is recorded that before the arrival of Portuguese there were more than 150 ancient churches in Kerala.[1]
There are two types of rock crosses in Kerala Churches broadly classified as St. Thomas cross and Nazraney sthambams.[2]
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[edit] St. Thomas Cross
![The Persian cross [1], Syrian Kurishu also known as Nasrani Menorah[2] or the Mar Thoma sleeba](../../../../images/local/thumb/3/3a/Stthomascross.jpg/180px-Stthomascross.jpg)
The small cross is called St Thomas cross or Nasrani Menorah or Syrian Cross. This crosses are found at St. Thomas Mount, Kottayam [ 2 nos ], Kadamattam, Muttuchira, Kothanalloor, Alangad etc. This has been venerated by all St Thomas Christians from ancient times and treated as particularly sacred and kept inside the church.[3]
The crosses found at St.Thomas Mount and Kottayam has inscriptions in Pahlavi and Syriac.Dr. Burnell, the previous Archeological Director of India translated the inscriptions as follows,
“In punishment by the cross (was) the suffering of this one He who is the true Christ, and God above and Guide ever pure.” [4]
Dr. Burnell translation’s of inscription in small cross in Kottayam is as follows,
” Let me not glory except in the cross of our Lourd Jesus Christ” ( Syriac translation )
“Who is the true Messiah, and God above, and Holy Ghost.” ( Pahlavi translation )[4]
Prof FC Burkitt and C.P.T. Winckworth, the then reader of Assyriology in the University of Cambridge studied the inscriptions and produced a transalation. This has been discussed at the International Congress of Orientalists held at Oxford in 1925.
The interpretation is as follows,
“My Lord Christ, have mercy up on Afras son of Chaharbukht the Syrian, who cut this ( or, who caused this to be cut )” [5]
This cross has also been found during excavations in 1912 at Anuradhapura, one time capital of Sri Lanka [ 2 nos ][6] and in Sirkap, Pakistan during a filed search in 1935. [7]
Paleographers are in agreement that the style used in lettering in the crosses found in St. Thomas Mount and Kottayam are of 7th or 8th century.[8]Carbon dating also proves that the oldest of these crosses are from a period of 7th or 8th century.
The St. Thomas crosses at Kadamattam, Muttuchira, Kothanalloor and Alangad are said to be of same or postdate period.[3]
[edit] Nazraney Sthambams
The other type is a giant open air rock cross. These are called Nazraney Sthambams.[9]
The plinth of these crosses represents lotus petals and lotus flowers and has a square base. It also has a variety of iconographic motifs, including elephants, peacocks and various other animals, depictions of the Holy Family and of the Crucifixion, to name a few.
These crosses are found in Kottekkad, Enammavu Mapranam, Puthenchira, Parappukkara, Veliyanad, Kalpparambu, Angamaly, Kanjoor, Malayattoor, Udayanperur, Kuravilangad, Uzhavoor, Chungam, Kaduthuruthy [2 Nos.], Muttuchira, Kudamaloor, Niranam, Kothamangalam, Chengannur, Thumpamon, Chathannur and many other places.[9]
[edit] References & Bibliography
- ^ Malabar Manual by William Logan - 1996 published by Asian Educational Services
- ^ NSC Network (2007),Stone Crosses of Kerala
- ^ a b NSC Network (2007),Analogical review on St Thomas Cross- The symbol of Nasranis
- ^ a b Christianity in Travancore by GT Mackenzie Chapter 1
- ^ The Journal of Theological studies ( 1929), P-241, NSC Network (2007)
- ^ National Archives of Sri Lanka- Deepa N. Rajaratne and Sarah J Niles ,[http://www.tclsl.org/Chdc.html/ Archive link
- ^ Shadows in the Dark ( Pakistan Christian History Monograph No. 1) ,[ http://www.pcbcsite.org/taxilacr.html/ Monograph 1
- ^ Brown L (1956)- The Indian Christians of St. Thomas
- ^ a b Rock Crosses of Kerala, Article by Prof.George Menachery, 2000
