Development of Hinduism

SR No.: 007303
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: M M Ninan
Publisher: M M Ninan
Total Pages: 582
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 45 MB

Page 203

9. COMING OF THOMAS
In the recent years four coins said to have been given by Thomas to a family in Kerala has come
up.
Thondachan and the Four Silver Coins http://nasrani.net/2007/05/22/hindu-traditions-of-st-thomas
%e2%80%93thondacchan-and-the-four-silver-coins/ The worship of Thondachan, a Hindu family deity, by a particular lineage of Nairs (native martial clan) of Malabar, Kerala and especially the manner and ritual of this worship is noteworthy. Though a family deity, Thondachan is never worshipped within the Nair household. Nor has this deity been ever given a berth among the pantheon of Hindu gods at any of the Hindu temples presided over by the Brahman priests (called Namboodiris). Thondachan has a special altar built outside the Nair family compound, where non-Brahmin priests perform rituals. While Chaamundi, Vishnumoorthy, Pottan, Rakteshwari and Bhagavathi became the non-Aryan, non-Brahmin deities for the village folk of Kolathunaad (an ancient province of North Kerala) along with other primitive spirits and folk-heroes, Thondachan has an even smaller following among a select Nair clan. It is believed, that up to the present day, altars for Thondachan's worship exists in the Cherukunnu area in Kannur (Cannanore) district, especially in the lands surrounding old tharavad (family) houses - ancestral mansions - of the Nairs.
When Thomachan (the Apostle St. Thomas - Achan signifying father) came ashore, landing at Maliankara near Moothakunnam village in Paravoor Thaluk in AD 52 (this village is located five kilometers from Kodungallur), some of his followers as well as other sailors and merchants were suffering from a severe form of scurvy. Thomachan himself suffered from a sore throat which he chose to ignore, and which grew steadily worse, until no voice emanated from his lips for many days. A local Jew named Matan took the weary travelers to a local Nair Tharavad (locally known as Kambiam Vallapil), in the province of Kolathunaad, a territory comprising the present Cannanore District and Badagara Taluk of Kerala. It is said that at the time of Thomachan's arrival at the tharavad, the Nair Karnavar (landlord or head of the family) lay injured from a grievous wound that had been inflicted upon him in a feudal duel. Upon seeing this, Thomachan sat beside the injured man and meditated, laying his hands on the man's head, his throat, his chest and his groin.
Immediately the karnavar felt relieved from pain and his healing was hastened. Within a day he was up and about, his wounds having nearly healed. In return, the Nair household offered shelter to the strangers and called upon their family physician to cure the scurvy that the travelers suffered from, as well as Thomachan's severely infected throat. Nellikaya (Emblic Myrobalan or Indian Gooseberry)
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