19) OPEN-AIR GRANITE CROSS OF MYLACOMBU, ST. THOMAS FORANE CHURCH (SYRO-MALABAR)

Mylakombu is considered to be the mother parish of several prominent early churches of Kerala such as Kothamangalam, Kadamattom, Chungam, Arakuzha, Nakappuzha, Nediassala, and Muthalakodam (Thoma, 1916, 297-303). The traditional date for the church is c. 600 A.D. (600, 660, 686 etc.). On the other hand, there are oral traditions which suggest about St Thomas installing a granite cross at Mylacombu, which further gets transformed to a church, either by the Apostle or his disciples (Thoma, 1916, p. 297)! Leaving aside these legendary stories, how does one arrive at a 7th century date for the church? It's a mystery how the St Thomas Christians arrive at such specific foundation dates without usually any supporting evidence in hand. Nevertheless, in the case of Mylacombu, the claim is based on an artefact preserved in the church- a large metallic church bell with an inscription on its rim. According to Fr. Bernard Thoma (1916, p. 296), the inscription is in Nanam Monam script and it reads as: "The church bell of Mylacomb's St. Thomas in the year 686, Minam 5 (month) after the Messiah was born". Now, based on Bernard's interpretation, many (Varkey, 1955, p. 389; Joy, 1992, p. 47, Pulickal, 2001, pp. 8-9 etc.) take this as a proof for the existence of Mylacombu church in the 7th century. However, the Tamil Vattezhuthu inscription is erroneously dated by Bernard, the more scholarly accepted date is now "A.D. 1606 Minam 5" (Poduval, 1990, p. 121; Kurukkoor, 2012, p. 24 etc.). Having said so, Mylacombu is certainly a pre-Diamper congregation as evident from Gouvea's reference to the church in his Jornada (1606) under the names Malucopil and Malucompil dedicated to St George (see Malekandathil, 2003, p. 433). Interestingly, Anquettil Du Perron (1758) finds the church dedicated to Virgin Mary, and a few decades later, Paulinus Bartholomaeo (1794) records the name of St Thomas instead. 

The church must have undergone several renovations and reconstructions over time. The latest was in the 1940s, when the old church was replaced for building the current structure. It has been reported that the old church was without a facade, a characteristic feature of pre-Portuguese churches. Today, very few churches have survived without a facade (eg. Kanjirappally old church), but even in mid-20th century, absence of a facade was a rare phenomenon, perhaps the remoteness of the area was an added advantage for Mylacombu. The foundation for the new church was laid on 1946 July 3, and the construction was done in such a way that the old church was preserved inside the new building (Varkey, 1955, p. 390). Eventually, the old church was taken down. Athapilly (1981, p. 71) writes that the demolition took place in 1955, he mentions about an interesting incident of a Ganapathi statue being found from the wall of the demolished church! I don't know even if a single photograph of the old Mylacombu church is available today, but it would be certainly a rare find if anyone will come across one. The old baptismal font has survived, which amusingly, is dated to 1st to 2nd century by the church! Anyway, it is one of the most beautiful baptismal fonts in Kerala with intricate carvings of heart-like floral decorations. I have included the photographs of both the baptismal font and the church bell below. I will be discussing more about these later when we get into the sections dealing with the church bells and the baptismal fonts of the community separately.

The cross has tapering upper arms with its distal end carved in the form of double layered lotus petals. There are no other motifs or carvings anywhere else either on the cross or the pedestal. This is the smallest and the simplest pedestal we have discussed so far. I don't know if this ordinary base represented by just three successive narrow square shaped steps are even part of the original structure. Anyway, it's interesting to observe how the tall and massive granite structure is held firmly by such a small foundation. A plaque in front of the open-air granite structure boasts about a possibility of the cross being erected at the time of the establishment of the church itself, although they agree that an exact date cannot be determined.  Additionally, there is reference to a legend about this cross being installed automatically, that is without any human help, a miracle attributed to St Thomas himself. At present we can't specifically date the cross, but most probably it is a post-16th century structure. According to James (1979, p. 66), the cross measures 10 m in height and lacks any western influence. He finds  bell-shaped carvings on the base, and niches on the pedestals. Since there are no niches on the pedestal today, the question arises if he was referring to an older pedestal? I have photographed the cross in 2015 and 2017, both set of photographs are added here for a better understanding of the monument.

18) OPEN-AIR GRANITE CROSS OF MUTHALAKODAM, ST. GEORGE FORANE CHURCH (SYRO-MALABAR)

The medium sized open-air granite cross at Muthalakodam St. George church has a square shaped pedestal with a round apex. Today, metallic candle stands are placed on every side of the pedestal giving the cross a closely fenced appearance, and as a result, a clean view of the pedestal is difficult to obtain. Earlier, the cross was said to be surrounded by pillars having provisions for lighting oil lamps, and were interconnected by chains (Madukkakuzhi, 1995, p. 97). There is even a legend that beneath the cross is a hidden treasure of gold coins enough to build a beautiful new church (Madukkakuzhi, 1995, p. 97; Kurukkoor, 2012, p. 22). The tapering budded ends of the upper arms of the cross are finely carved. Similarly, the lotus petal designs and floral symbols engraved at the lower end of the vertical shaft, and the upper round layer of the pedestal are impressive. From each side of the lowermost square layer of the pedestal are central projections with niches. Whether there are any motifs inside these niches are hard to conclude due the accessibility issues. Another characteristic feature of the pedestal is the horn like protrusions arising from each corner. The prominent central square layer of the pedestal is composed of granite blocks of varying sizes and they appear as broken fragments joined.

History, Age, Size of the Cross
Traditionally, Muthalakodam church was separated from Mylacombu church and was established in the year 1312. The church is supposedly built by a rich and influential woman named Lady Mattathil Muthi, also called Kappathiaramma, Karthanyaramma or Karthathyaramma (Madukkakuzhi, 1995, pp. 95-96; Thoma, 1916, p. 302). Church historians like Bernard Thoma (1916, p. 302) believes that Muthalakodam church was established even earlier, that is from the 9th to 10th century period. Originally, the church was dedicated to Virgin Mary, but was changed to St. George probably in the 18th century (Kurukkoor, 2012, p. 19). The current church was built in 1973, but it has been renovated and rebuilt several times in the 20th century itself. For instance, the church demolished in 1941, had very thick walls, a beautiful altar with several sculptures and paintings, and an arched altar ceiling chiselled out of laterite stones (Madukkakuzhi, 1995, p. 97). The earlier churches at Muthalakodam are considered to be wooden buildings, with windows, door frames, railings etc. made entirely of granite (Thoma, 1916, p. 302).

There is belief that the cross in front of the church was built by the founder of the church, i.e. Mattathil Muthi herself. However, the first cross was probably a wooden (teak) structure speculates Kurukkoor (2012, p. 24). According to James (1979, p. 66), the cross does not show any western influence, and he notices the bell shaped carvings and a number of niches on the pedestal. Madukkakuzhi (1995, p. 97) assigns a height of 19 feet to the cross, whereas James (1979, p. 66) gives a higher estimate of 10 m (34 feet), the former seems more reliable.

17) OPEN-AIR GRANITE CROSS OF KANJOOR, ST. MARY'S FORANE CHURCH (SYRO-MALABAR)

Unlike the open-air crosses we discussed so far, the Kanjoor cross has a very small foundation. The pedestal consists of a circular top followed by a few successive square layers. Today, portions of the bottom layer of the pedestal can be seen partially hidden under the soil (see especially the south-west corner), probably as a result after the land was filled and raised over time. To get a view of the more complete pedestal, go through some of the early black and white photographs attached below. The base of the cross, which is the uppermost round layer of the pedestal is carved in the form of a fluted lotus, done with such perfection that it is hard to believe that the work is indeed in granite. Equally impressive is the design at the intersection point of the upper arms of the cross on the west side (see the inset in the corresponding photograph attached), which even caught the attention of Henry Hosten in 1924. The upright pole and cross beam of the cross have finely carved tapering ends, but there are no inscriptions on the body. James (1979, p. 68) in his thesis on ‘The Thomas Christian Architecture of Malabar’ has addressed the importance of the Kanjoor pedestal, and to quote the text; “The cross has only a very moderate base of 1.5 m in diameter. But, it is beautifully carved out in the form of a fluted lotus with prominent petals. The workmen concentrated more on beauty and simplicity than on solidity and strength. The fluted lotus carved out on the base of the cross is similar to the bell-shaped capital of many a Buddhist stambha. The reason for stone workers to go in for such a simple and compact structure with great beauty is unknown. When compared with the fluted lotus on the base of the Angamaly cross, the perfection attainted by the one at Kanjoor becomes highly significant”.
 

History, Age and Size
One of the earliest documented reference to the Kanjoor cross is from Rev. Henry Hosten, who visited the church in 15-16 February, 1924 (see Tanima, 2008, pp. 29-30). Hosten observes the open-air cross before the entrance gate to the church grounds and records the small cross at the junction of the two beams of the cross, and on the left of the cross, on the ground an alms box, surmounted by a small cross and provided with a 'Chinese padlock. Note that an old alms box made of stone still survives next to the cross. He was particularly impressed with the gatehouse (Padippura) of Kanjoor, especially the wooden structure over the entrance gate. In fact, he even compares them to the gates of cities mentioned in the Old Testament! The gate house has been rebuilt at least twice in the 20th century itself as evident from the photographs (see old photos below)

The traditional date for Kanjoor church is 1001 A.D. The first church is said to be a humble palm-leaf thatched building located in the site where the modern cemetery is located, that is, south of the existing church. The establishment of the church is attributed to the efforts of a woman named Thekkumbhagathu Valiyaveettil Elishwa. The current church is believed to be established in the year 1403 and it has been reconstructed and rebuilt several times thereafter (see more in Archdiocese of Ernakulam, 1978, pp. 265-269). James (1979, p. 68) dates Kanjoor cross to the 14th or 15th century, but without providing any supporting evidence. Devassy (1961, p. 252) has estimated a height of 40 feet for the cross, which is certainly an exaggeration, since even Kaduthuruthy Valiapally cross, the tallest in Kerala, measures around 36 feet only!

16) OPEN-AIR GRANITE CROSS OF KADUTHURUTHY, ST. MARY'S FORANE CHURCH/CHERIAPALLY/THAZHATHUPALLY (SYRO-MALABAR)

Earlier we discussed in detail about the majestic granite cross of Kaduthuruthy Valiapally (see here). Just a few feet away from this Knanaya Catholic Church is a Syro-Malabar Catholic Church known also as the Kaduthuruthy Cheriapally or Thazhathupally, and there is an open air granite cross in its courtyard as well. The Cheriapally cross is less impressive in its size or ornamental value compared to the magnificent Valiapally cross, but it can also be classified under the category of older crosses. Pereira (2000, pp. 369-371) takes the Lower (Thazhathu) St Mary Kaduthuruthy cross as one of the oldest monumental crosses in Kerala with a profile of greater elegance. However, he has probably mistaken the names, lower and upper Kaduthuruthy churches, see the last photograph (of 1968) of this post for more details.

Structure of the Cross
The upper arms of the cross have tapering ends, but the cross is devoid of  any carvings or inscriptions. The pedestal consists of square shaped successive layers. The uppermost (1) and lowermost (5) layers are carved in the form of a fluted lotus. The first layer which forms the base of the upright pole has a beautiful carving of an angel on the west side. Pereira (2000, p. 370) classifies the Upper St Mary Kaduthuruthy  cross (which in this case is the Cheriapally Cross) as a second stage cross, i.e. with two fold design, square and circular. At each corners of the 2nd layer from the top are fine carvings of angelic heads, but unfortunately only one in the south side (south-east corner) has survived intact. The 3rd layer from the top lacks any carvings, whereas the 4th layer  has engraving of 3 crosses on its side panels. At the west side panel there is an additional motif (cross?) faintly visible at the right extreme end.

Size of the Cross
The total height of the cross from the ground (i.e. including pedestal) is 4.74 m (remember, the Valiapally cross measures 10.96 m). The upright pole measures 3.18 m and the pedestal has a height of 1.56 m, and the single cross arm is 1.8 m long (Jose, 2017, p. 168). 

Age of the Church and the Cross
The conventional date for Kaduthuruthy Thazhathupally is 1009 A.D., and it is believed that the church was separated from the Valiapally. The construction of Cheriapally is attributed to one Lady Malana Eliamma (Malana Muthy). Eminent church historian Bernard Thoma (1916, vol.1, pp. 307-309) has compiled this tradition, according to which Malana Muthy was displeased with a reformation introduced in the Valiapally by Bishop Yohannan (10th Century), and as a result she built a separate church for the Vadakkumbhagam community (St Thomas Christians) who were worshipping in the main church with the Knanaya Christians (see more details here also). The Cheriapally is said to have undergone a reconstruction in 1590, the same year we learn Valiapally was also rebuilt, so whether these events are related is not clear. The origin of the cross is not known, and due to the lack of documentary or epigraphical evidence, it is difficult to estimate the exact age. Pereira (2000, p. 433) speculates a 16th century date for the Kaduthuruthy cross of Upper St. Mary church, located adjacent to the road, again in this case, he refers to the Cheriapally cross. When Henry Hosten was in Kaduthuruthy in 1924, he visited both the churches, and despite giving a detailed report of the Valiapally cross, he makes no comment on the Cheriapally cross (Hosten, 1924-In Tanima, 2010, pp. 103-104).

15) OPEN-AIR GRANITE CROSS OF KUDAMALOOR, ST. MARY'S FORANE CHURCH (SYRO-MALABAR)

The Kudamaloor cross has no inscription, but it certainly has some beautiful panels of finely carved images of floral motifs, crosses, animals, birds etc. on the pedestal. The upper arms of the cross have protruding ends and at the intersection point of cross beam with vertical shaft is a floral motif. The pedestal is arranged in successive square layers. The bottom five layers are significantly wider than the upper layers and appears as if the entire construction is from a different period. The outer surface of the uppermost layer of the pedestal is carved out with fluted lotus petals and it forms the base of the vertical shaft of the cross. Each rectangular panel of the layer just below the lotus form has three motifs, the central prominent motif is bordered by floral patterns. A Persian cross adored by peacocks and an intricate carving of a majestic tusker elephant are particularly impressive. These rectangular panels are bordered by a narrow floral belt on the lower side, and an upper boundary adorned with a pair of angels and floral symbols.

14) OPEN-AIR GRANITE CROSS OF CHAMPAKULAM-KALLOORKAD, ST. MARY'S BASILICA (SYRO-MALABAR)

Another open-air granite cross with an inscription is the one at the famous Champakulam-Kalloorkkad church. The cross is positioned on the south side of the church and the inscription is carved on the lower layer of the pedestal starting from the east side and written in the anti-clockwise direction, i.e. from the east to the south. The engraving in modern Malayalam language was written in 1857 or later, but what makes this inscription special is that it refers to the existence of a 12th century church at Champakulam. There are three dates mentioned in the writing: 1) 1821-when the cross was taken down; 2) 1857-when the cross was reinstalled; and 3) 670 years before 1821 (i.e. 1151) a church was built at Champakulam.

The traditional date of establishment for the Champakulam church is 427 A.D., December 28 (the Holy Innocents Day) or September 14 (the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross), and its origin is attributed to the Christian migrants from Nilackal, Niranam etc. The church is said to be rebuilt and renovated several times viz. 1023, 1151, 1544, 1720-1730, 1786, 1821, 1857, 1885-1891, 1981 etc. (for more details and corresponding references, see here). The inscription clearly says that a church was built in Champakulam around the year 1151 AD (i.e. 1821-670=1151), but strangely there is no reference to the traditional 5th century date!