CHURCH HISTORY OF CSI ANANTHANADARKUDY

 CHURCH HISTORY OF CSI ANANTHANADARKUDY

CSI church Ananthanadarkudy, known as AN Kudy is one of the oldest churches in Asia and also the oldest Protestant churches in South India. It was built during the British reign. This church comes under the Church of South India (CSI), Kanyakumari Diocese, Tamilnadu, India.

Rev. William Tobias Ringeltaube:

Rev. William Tobias Ringeltaube, the first Protestant missionary in the far south of India, was born on 8^th August 1770. He was the first child of Gottlieb Ringeltaube, Vicar of Scheidelwitz near Brzeg, in Silesia, Germany. After training in various missions in the London missionary society, He left England in Feb 1804 for India and arrived in Tranquebar on the 4^th of December 1804, along with two other missionaries Cran and Des Granges. He spent some days there and learned the Tamil language. During this time, he accepted the invitation of Mr. Maharasan Vedamanickam (the pioneer Protestant Christian in Travancore) and came to a small village Mylaudy, in Kanyakumari district, Tamilnadu on 25 April 1806. Here he started his mission and laid the foundation for a church in Mylaudy in May 1809. This was the first Protestant Church of South Travancore. The arrival of Rev. William Tobias Ringeltaube, the first L.M.S. Missionary at Mylaudy, revolutionized the social, educational, and economic scenarios of South Travancore.

Rev. William Tobias Ringeltaube in Ananthanadarkudy:

During the eighteenth-century ancestors of Ananthanadarkudy village were idol worshippers. As a result of this, they built a temple for the Hindu goddess called “Amman” in the center of the village. Mr. Butananthan Nadar was the trustee and the ritual leader of the temple. One day as the temple festival was being processed under his guidance, there was a ritual chatter going on. During that time Rev. W T Ringeltaube happened to pass by the way riding a horse from Puliyoorkurichi to Ammandivilai through the village of AN Kudy. As it was a long journey He stepped down from the horse for a nap. All of a sudden wonder happened. All the slogans and the ritual chatters of the temple festival stopped eventually. Stunned by the things that happened, the temple priest and other elders of the village went to Rev. W T Ringeltaube and asked him the reason. For the first time gospel was proclaimed there, and he said to the villagers that “Jesus Christ was the only one who came to redeem mankind” Using this opportunity Ringeltaube preached about Christ. After hearing this, the whole villagers including the temple priest accepted Jesus Christ as their savior and became Christians. The head priest of the Amman temple Mr. Bootananthan Nadar was baptized and renamed as Mr. Vedamanickam.

Construction of the first church in Ananthanadarkudy:

With the effort and help of Ringeltaube, the villagers built a small hut made up of palm leaves, where they started to worship God and that was the first church in AN kudy which was dedicated on the 1st of January 1813 by Rev. William Tobias Ringeltaube. The land on which the Church was built was donated by Mr. Butananthan Nadar the temple priest who was later known as Vedamanickam. After Rev. W T Ringeltaube left India, the church was looked after by Mr. Vedamanickam Desikar for two years and later the church was supervised by Mead, Neal, Malt, Lewis, Duthie, Lee, and Allen, who were all foreign missionaries. The front portion of the church was completed and dedicated by Rev. Allen in 1896. After Allen, Mr. Parabarathtadimai was appointed as the first Indian Tamil evangelist of the church. According to the advisory council of the Travancore churches, Ananthanadarkudy Church was inaugurated as a pastorate church on March 5, 1914. Rev. V. Arulanandam was appointed as the first reverend of the pastorate church. In 4-1-1954 enhancement work started and the present church was constructed on 7-11-1961. Till today the appearance of the church remains the same.

Growth of the church:

Today there are more than six hundred families on the rolls. What was once a jungle of cashew trees, has been transformed into a garden of graft mangoes and coconuts. What was then the outskirts of a tiny village has now become the center of a flourishing town. There is a tall terraced portico, a spacious vestry, and a store room in the back. The large doors and windows and the tall pillars of the terrace, together with the elevated location, give a majestic appearance to the Church. Originally the roof was thatched with coconut leaves. In around 1961, the present roofing was built. It was of soil roof tile over closely placed rafters arranged in Malabar style. The acoustic arrangements of the Church are excellent. The building is electrified and the original chandeliers were fixed. These added the beauty of the evening service. As in honour of the first presbyter of the church Rev. V. Arulanandam, we established two churches near Ananthanadarkudy village by his name. The church on the south side of the village had been named Arulpuram, whereas the church on the north side was named Anandapuram, now These two churches are under the control of CSI Kanyakumari diocese.

Mission field:

On behalf of the church, 30 cents of land for the mission field was purchased on 9- 4-1997 at the Mellur village in Yercaud Hills. In 20-11-1998 new church was dedicated by Rt. Rev. Dr. M.I Kesari, former bishop of Kanyakumari diocese. so far, we have sent 32 missionaries to various parts of India on behalf of our church. All these prove that though this was meant for a place of worship for Christians, non-Christians also helped and encouraged the efforts thus appreciating the all-round uplifting influence that is bound to result through Christian Missionary enterprise in the lives of everyone irrespective of one’s religion. The Church has had a completely democratic constitution since 1860 and has ever since elected its own Pastors who have been eminent preachers. 

CSI church Ananthanadarkudy pastorate church was established by Rev. William Tobias Ringeltaube. The church has been fulfilling the aims and objectives of extending the kingdom of God. The existence of the church gave a broad way for flourishing Christianity and also enlightened various parts of South India. 

Sources: Church Magazine and Church Day Report

A. JENIL DHAS

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