Why Did St. Thomas Come to Niranam?

While filming the ancient St. Mary’s Orthodox Church in Niranam for a previous video, a question lingered in my mind: How did St. Thomas reach this quiet village, and why? The apostles initially went in search of the Jewish diaspora, which had settled in various parts of the world. Does this mean there was a Jewish settlement in Niranam? Since St. Thomas traveled by ship, did any ports exist nearby in ancient times? Niranam is situated on the shores of the Pamba River. It has famous pilgrimage centers like Sabarimala and Aranmula temples, and Parumala Church.

Tracing the journey of the apostle

Interestingly, the church, is said to have had priests since the time of the first conversion. Currently the Church has 26 priests in various orders, ranging from seminary students to retired priests.

I asked Thomas Philip how St. Thomas reached Niranam. Thomas is the former Secretary of the Church and well versed with the Church history. He explained that small ships arrived at nearby ports. St. Thomas is said to have arrived at Thoman Kadavu, which is 3 km away from the church. To learn more, he said,we should visit there. Since it was getting late, we decided to plan a visit to Thoman Kadavu the next time we returned to Kerala.

Regarding the Jewish settlement, he mentioned that on the way to Thoman Kadavu, there is a place believed to have been a Jewish market.

Based on these two pieces of information, I decided to do some research online.

Study about ancient Nelcynda

An article by Ajit Kumar, titled A ‘Probe to Locate Kerala’s Early Historic Trade Emporium of Nelcynda’, published in the ‘Journal of Indian Ocean Archeology’, discusses the search for the ancient port of Nelcynda. The author, from the department of Archeology, University of Kerala, mentions that Nelcynda was an early historic trade emporium along the Malabar Coast of Kerala. The port of Nelcynda is referenced in Greco-Roman literature. Particularly in the sea guide Periplus Maris Erythraei (ari-three-eye).

The article concludes that Niranam was the ancient port of Nelcynda. The article published in 2008 shares many interesting facts about Niranam. It was once a renowned trade emporium visited by Greek and Roman merchants. Large ships reached this inland riverine port town for both exports and imports. Pepper from Kottanara (modern-day Kuttanad) was exported, along with precious stones, tortoise shells, fine silk, ivory, diamonds, and high-quality pearls. Imported goods included gold coins, white glass, coral, small quantities of plain cloth, flowered robes, copper, tin, lead, and wine in small quantities.

However, after the 1st Century AD, large ships could no longer reach Nelcynda due to siltation in the river. Siltation, along with the receding coastline and rising land elevation, caused the port to lose its importance a few centuries after Christ.

The archeological exploration around Niranam

After identifying Niranam as Nelcynda, an archaeological exploration was carried out in Niranam and the neighboring areas of Kadapra and Alamturuttuthi. Early pottery and artifacts, such as parts of an amphora jar, were found in Alamthuruthy. Amphora jars were used by ancient Roman seafarers to transport olive oil, wine, and fish sauce. Similar pottery pieces were discovered along the route to Thoman Kadavu.

According to Ajit Kumar, the ships were later anchored at Porakad due to navigation difficulties caused by siltation. Which is why no Chinese-Arabian pottery has not been found in Niranam, unlike in other parts of Kerala where trade with Arabs occurred. The Niranam area, rich in paddy, suggests that the name “Nelcynda” could be etymologically derived from nel (paddy) and kandam (a paddy cultivation patch). The author also mentions that Nestorian or Syrian Christians and Jews were part of an active trading community in ancient Kerala. Meaning Niranam likely had their presence as an important and it was a well-known trade city during the early historic period.

Ports shifting westwards

In the book Boat Races of Kerala, one of the authors, Jacob J. Mappilacherry, says that while researching the origin of boat races, he came across something interesting: “the shifting of the ports westwards owing to the accumulation of silt in the riverbeds and the shoreline.” He goes on to say, “‘Automela’ is a major port described by Megasthenes and earlier by Herodotus in the 5th century BC. My guess is that this is the Aranmula port, since geographically both are situated in the same spot. Later, during Jesus’s time, the port shifted to Niranam. Niranam too is inland now.”

Thomas Philip also mentioned that the well in the Niranam church is square-shaped. Whereas wells in Kerala are typically round. The well must belong to the Jewish tradition. Because Jews use many square-shaped objects in their religion.

Why Judaism is a square religion?

In an article by Rabbi Stewart Weiss in The Jerusalem Post titled “Why Judaism is a Square Religion,”. The writer explains that while most objects in nature are round, The sun, the moon, the stars are all round. Most fruit – apples, oranges, lemons, etc. – are round. When a raindrop falls to earth, it disperses in a circular fashion, and so on. But, in contrast, Many objects in Judaism are square-shaped. Tefillin, a huppa, the Ark, a succa, a mezuzah parchment, a tallit, and even the Tabernacle itself are square in shape. The square, the writer explains, symbolizes the involvement of man, as “a square could not have gotten that way without the hand of man being involved.”

Niranam has experienced periods of rising popularity. In ancient times, the Greeks and Romans came here for trade. In AD 54, St. Thomas also built one of the oldest churches in the world in Niranam. Niranam is considered the southernmost of the 64 Nambudiri settlements of ancient Malabar. And from the 14th to the 17th centuries, the three renowned Kannasan poets hailed from Niranam. They translated and adapted Sanskrit epics and Puranic works for devotional purposes. St Gregorios of Parumala stayed at the Niranam Church for 26 years from 1876 to1902. And presently the relics of St Thomas brought from Mosul, in Iraq are Kept at the St Mary’s Church Niranam.

Ancient Nelcynda and Modern Niranam

Niranam Church, is now perched in the pristine beauty of nature, silently away from the river and the main road. It requires a 1 km journey from the main road to reach. The changing geographical features, commercial changes, and shifting trade routes and modes of transportation have transformed the place. What was once a globally bustling known port city, mentioned in Greek-Roman writings, into a quiet, remote village.