EARLY HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN MAHARASHTRA. The Missionary: Christianity was a missionary religion. It had

Transcription

1 69 CHAPTER POUR EARLY HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN MAHARASHTRA The Missionary: Christianity was a missionary religion. It had a mission and a missionary was to fulfil the mission. The Missionary* was a religious worker. His principal responsibility was to get the group of workers prepared to establish the mission. After he developed the local leadership, he moved on to another place. Paul, the greater missionary,' did not seem to minister more than three or four years in any one place. Further the missionaries should not force on other national groups that which is peculiar to their own culture and not part of Christian 0 doctrine. The history of missions reveals that the missionary enterprise was involved in the transmission of culture. Prof. Latourette writes, "The missionaries who labored among the primitive tribes did not hesitate to make use of their cultural advantage. They also took advantage of most opportunities to demonstrate their higher civilization. This process unfortunately continued on into the colonial period of Modern times. It led the people of Asia to identify Christianity with occidental civilization. The truth * The word 'Missionary' was Latin, and was the same as the word apostle from the Greek, and it meant 'one sent' or 'sent forth'.

2 70 of the matter is that Christianity was born in the jmear East and transported to the West."'*' Henry Venn# a former Missionary of India was the Secretary of the Church Missionary Society in England. As early as in 1851 he insisted that missionaries should turn the control of the local church over to the native pastors* move on to other 2 unevangelised areas, 3 Rolland Allen wrote two books# Missionary Methods St. Paul's or Ours* and 'The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church', These books were written especially on the Missionary movement. His conclusions were mainly based on his study of the missionary work of the Apostle Paul, He explained that the organisations of the newly founded churches should be simple. This would be easier to govern and to support. He challenged the mission movement to reconsider missionary methods in the light of early church. He said that in a short time St. Paul was able to establish and equip churches with an ordained ministry because he selected natural leaders approved by their group and ordained them within a short period of time after baptism. He suggested that all the churches might follow that method in order to become self-supporting and self-propagating. Paul D. Rajah states: The failure on the part of both missionaries and Indian Christians to naturalise Christianity

3 71 in the country# their failure to harm anything from Hindu philosophy and to evolve an Indian Christian theology in which both the stands of the Indian heritage are woven into a new 4 pattern acceptable to the Indian mind. One chief reason why Indian Christians generally welcomed foreign missionaries was economic. It was an open secret that the Indian Church was not yet out of its swaddling clothes so far as its economic support was concerned. The foreign missionaries were receiving a free furnished house and allowances of various kinds, such as house-hold allowance, summer hill residence allowance, children*s allowances, 5 medical and furlough allowances. Dr, E. Stanley Jones, the best known missionary to India rightly states that India does not want missionaries because by temperament and outlook missionaries are imperialistic and are out of tune with Indian national aspirations. The Missionaries faced many problems in Maharashtra. It was difficult for them to adjust in the hot climate. There was opposition from the higher castes of Hindus. The Peshwa rule was so rigid and conservative that the people were not ready to change their attitude. So it was difficult for the Missionaries to work in such a rigid and conservative society.6 The Baptist Missionary Society was formed in 1792, the

4 72 London Mission in 1795; the Church Missionary Society in 1799; the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions the American Marathi Mission in 1813,* O The history of Christian communities > in India (Malbar) goes back to 345 A.D. A large group of people from the Christian communities of Persia, Syria and Mesopotamia, the three homelands g to escape the horrors of persecutions let loose by Sapor II. The Christians had heard about the protection and hospitality of the kings in Malbar. They landed in many coastal areas, and seme of them remained peacefully in obscurity. But highly enterprising section of the community was led by a very able merchant named Thomas Cananaus, in other words, Thomas the Merchant.'1'0 They landed and established a very prosperous settlement in Crankanpore near Cochin.11 Early Efforts Christianity in real sense took shape in India in the 16th century A.'D, For this the Portuguese were responsible; they tried to convert the people to Christianity. They defeated native powers and conquered territory in India, They had won a decisive victory over the combined fleet of the Egyptians and Gujarathis in 1509 at $ a time when Gujarat was at the height of its power under Mohmud Bagadh. Without any provocation they sacked and burnt down the * Smith, George - Short History of Christian Missions, pp*ri61-185

5 73 prosperous town of Surat in 1530, Next year they stormed at Diu and killed everyone on the isle, and the port could be saved with difficulty by a combined effort of the rulers of Gujarat and the fleet of Amir Mustapha of Yaman. The dismal failure of Eastern fleet of the Ottoman Sultan Suleman encouraged the Portuguese further. By false promises they secured the port of Daman in and destroyed the Indian section of Chaul in 1569, the 14 Portuguese fleet ransacked the coast from Kochin to Cambay. The Portuguese were the first European power with which Akabar came into contact in 1572 at Cambay, They were given certain trade concessions on the condition that they should not molest the Muslim Pilgrims to Mecca. During Akbar's time Jesuit fathers were in India and they were the members of the Society of Jesus as the society had sent missionaries to India, China, Japan and elsewhere, Jesuits had established their first residence in the territory under Portuguese control. It was the king of Portugal who had invited than to India and they had a duty to fulfil towards his subjects, Accordingly, there was a Northward movement from Goa, and soon 15 Jesuits' stations sprang up at Bassein, Bandra, Thana and Daman. St. Francis Xavier came to Goa in There he walked up and down the streets ringing a hancubell to gather an audience. He expanded the Christian creed with sincerity. He explained the Christian ethic with cheerfulness. He made thousands of converts

6 74 among Hindus and Muslims. He requested John III of Portugal to 16 establish the Inquisition in Goa and recommended that no Hindu should be ordained unless he had several generations of Christian ancestors# he could not bear the thought of a Portuguese 17 confessing to a native. Another Missionary was Louis Frois, born at Lisbon in He entered the society of Jesus in 1548 and was soon appointed to the Indian Missions. He arrived in Goa in the October of the same year. He stayed in Goa till 1562, expecting for a couple of years to be spent at Malacca and a few short visits to the Northern outposts of Chaul and Bassein. Prom the historical point of view, Frois's most commendable qualities were an absence of verbosity and oratorical padding, and a passion for concrete facts. Thus, for example, not content with saying that there were many baptismas in Goa, he gave the exact numbers of converts for each 18 month, and enumerated the villages also where they took place. The work of Jesuit Fathers was very important from social, religious and political points of view. They travelled the whole of India and wrote the account of what they had seen. They studied all the important languages of India. The Jesuits spent much time and energy in studying the various languages of the country with the object of being able more easily to conduct their religious propoganda. They devoted

7 75 themselves to the studies with such zeal that Father Stephens# an English Priest who was in Salsette and Goa for thirty years was the author of the first grammar of the Modern languages of India and also the writer of brilliant poems popularly known as the Christian Purana published in 1640 in Goa in Marathi with a 19 mixture of Konkani words. Writing to St. Ignafius on November 28, 1550, in praise of the apostolic work of the Jesuits in India, the Bishop of Goa declared that they went about among the people teaching them Christian doctrine and in course of their doing so some Fathers 20 learnt the native languages that their success as missionaries was in a great measure due to their learning attempts. St. Xavier's mark conversion, backed by Portuguese official support, carried out with a surprising ignorance of local languages, and not apparently accompanied by systematic education of Christian communities. This was followed by the establishment of the Jesuit Mission in Subsequently, 500 missionaries were at work among the 2,51,000 converts.* In India, their headquarters was Goa. They were wandering along the whole of Western coast but their places in Maharashtra were Salsette, Daman, Thana and many such other places. They followed the rigorous methods for the conversion of the local people. People,' therefore, on occasions turned hostile to them * O'Malley, Ii.S.S. Op.cit., p. 324

8 76 and even to their work* Many times people took severe steps 20 against the Jesuits. De Souza writes# "Mathias Tanner says that in the year 1554# when D.Antonia de Naronha was Viceroy, two priests of the society were cllled by stonning at Salsette. When there were still no missionaries of the society in Salsette and D.Affonso de Naronha was the Governor but 1564 when D. Antonio de Naronha was Viceroy. The religions of the society# of whom only one was a priest# did not die by martyrdom and not did the tradition of this province even recognize such martyrs. Father John Nadasi fell into the same error *.." The Jesuits in India disliked the new-comers such as Protestants and English menu But at the same time "We must reckon y with the study protestantism of the Englishman# which rendered A 22 him quite incapable of recognizing any merit in a Jesuit." This means they were against the other missionaries of Europe. In 1774# Pombal had ruined the missions of the society of Jesus in India and seized its goods# he ordered in the king's name that the state and ecclesiastical archives of the Portuguese territories in India should be sent to Lisbon by Ship.* In the 16th century the Portuguese were the important power in the Konkan. They came to India with two motives the capture of the rich spice trade of India and the spread of Christianity. * Correia - Afonso# John - Jesuit Letters and Indian History# p. 134.

9 77 The first Portuguese Viceroy in India destroyed the Hindu temple on Angedev Island and constructed a church on its site in The Portuguese missionaries destroyed all the temples (about 250) in Salsette Taluka in 1567, The Portuguese Viceroys in Goa were extremely active in propagating their faith, Conde de Sao Vicente (Vicet^ry) actively engaged himself in converting the Hindu population to Christianity at Bardesh. He had issued orders prohibiting Hindus of Bardesh their stay in the province if they did not embrace Christianity. He had given them two months time. The Portuguese missionaries not only worked as priests but also participated in the wars. There were many churches in the Konkan which were used for keeping armaments and other war materials.23 In the 16th century# the Portuguese persecutions of the Hindus were described in Da Cunha's Bassein and Goez, Hindu temples and Muslim mosques were demolished for building churches. There was no forcible conversion of Hindu to Christianity in Goa and at other places or in Maharashtra of Shivaji's time. In 1665# Jaisingh attacked Swarajya and finding it difficult to protect the kingdom, Shivaji concluded treaty with Jaisingh on 11th June# 1665, Mannuci, the Italian traveller# met Shivaji in Jaisingh*s camp. He discussed with him many topics including 25 teachings of Christianity. Shivaji had taken a firm action against the Portuguese and

10 78 26 had killed some Padries in But this happened due to the mischiefs of Desais. Lakhan Sawant and other Desais in South Konkan who had fled from their Jagirs in the Portuguese Territory in 1664, were staying in Bardesh# then the possession of the Portuguese. The Viceroy of Goa repeated warnings to them to maintain peace with Shivaji^ But they neglected it and Shivaji punished these Desais. In 1667 Shivaji's forces sacked many villages and carried off- a large number of Portuguese and other 27 materials. According to the Dutch, He plundered three of the principal villages on that very same day <20th November), so that within three days# he overran nearly the whole of Bardesh before the Lusitans offerred resistance. Shivaji's objects were only to plunder and carry away some Desais#' whom his excellency had taken under his protection. The former object he attained# but not the latter so they escaped to Goa, He carried away great riches of which the tame estimate is not yet public. Sixteen hundred natives mostly women and young girls whom he sells to his soldiers# with a few men and as many persons who had retreated into Bardesh from the villages neighbouring to escape from Shivaji's outrages were carried by him to his fortresses. Besides# he had several. r Christians put to. death among whom there werev^hree priests."* In Shivaji's time# the Padris never forced conversion of pagans; during famine they used to buy Hindu children from their guardians and make thorn converts. Particularly# Hindu and Muslim rr j... _ r * Prof. Pissurlencor writes; "There is no reference in the Portuguese records of any harm having befallen any woman taken prisoner during the invasion of Bardesh". - Portuguese-Marathe Sambandha, p, 72.

11 79 orphans were taken as wards of the state, fed and brought up as Christians. When- Shivaji demanded the restoration of any Hindu boy convert at the prayer of the boy's former guardian, the Portuguese Governor declined on the ground that it was against the rules of his state to deliver any Christian to pagan authority for the 28 purpose of being made a pagan again. Although Shivaji had great respect for Hindu religion, he never hated other religions. He gave equal treatment to people * As of all religions. But he did not he^tiate towards severe punish- ft- ment to those who,1 in the guise of religion, troubled others. When the Portuguese made efforts for popularizing the Christianity, Shivaji opposed thou strongly. / After the death of Shivaji, Sambhaji became the king of Maratha kingdom. His nine years- reign was important for the purpose of our thane. In 1681, the Mughal Emperor had arrived in Deccan to crumble the Maratha power. After the arrival of Mughal army, the Portuguese took opportunity and looted a number of villages. So Sambhaji arranged an expedition in October-November 1683 against them. He defeated the Portuguese in St. Stiphon battle and attacked St. Stiphon Church and had broken the idol 29 of Goddess in the Church. One of the important results of the battle was, the people 30 were not ready to obey the orders of the Padris. The Marathas also attacked Marm-Goa Church. In the church there two hundred

12 80 women and some soldiers outraged women. Sambhaji captured many Padris but after treaty# they were released. No body was killed. 31 He pardoned all of them. With regard to the religious policy of the Peshwas towards Christianity# it may be said in general that they wisely restraineg-'the-forces-of~ Hindu-'-reaction from retailtary spite against this religion# though the Hindus had many old scores to settle with them. The Portuguese of Goa in those days (16th century) had made forcible converts and inflicted humiliation on the Hindus. But when the Marathas became supreme on the Western coast they did not attempt any reconversion or persecute the Christian Clergy. The Diary of Peshwa Bajirao I has the following entry s "Khairat Kharch (Charity expenses) to be paid yearly to v 32 Padri Feringee of Bassein is sent with Shankarji Keshav." < In Portuguese Records#; there is not a single reference of the forcible conversion under the Peshwa Bajirao I. But in some Marathi letters# there are some references found threatening 33 some Hindus of the forcible conversion to Christianity. Peshwa Madhavrao I granted permission of firing before the priest's Goddess. "A Portuguese priest represented that a festival in connection with his Goddess at Revadanda and lasting for nine days# took place every year# and that the Government cannon was fired only once on the occasion; he prayed that leave might be

13 81-34 given to the cannon being fired thrice. His request was granted." It was represented to Peshwa Madhavrao I that the Church of certain Portuguese priest in Janjira Revadanda had no image in it and that it was out of repair. Permission was accorded for providing 35 wood for building church of a Portuguese priest. Even for the recognition of priestship in certain church, the permission was granted by the Peshwa. "A Portuguese Priest of Rewadanda prayed that a Government letter might be issued recognizing his claim to officiate as priest in the Church. His prayer was granted and the officer of Salsette was directed to allow the priest to send an agent of his to officiate as priest as he himself was unable to do so owing 36 to his being employed tinder Government." The Portuguese priests used to apply for the construction of church building. "A Portuguese Priest being desirous of building a church dedicated to his God at Mouze Korlai, permission was given to him to remove for the use of the temple stonepillars and of the 7 or 8 dilapidated temples in the Government of 37 Revadanda," The Christian priests used to distribute the medicine to the people. This medicine was given to all the communities of the Hindus. The people believed that they would be definitely cured after taking the medicine from the priest. As a result of this,

14 82 there was a great demand for medicine from the people. There was a church at the Peshwa*s capital, Poona, and Christians were not 39 interfered with in the exercise of their religion. Though some conversions took place during the period of Maratha supremacy yet the rule checked the progress of conversion considerably in the Konkan.

15 83 REFERENCES 1 Paylor# John F.. Indigenous Churches of the Christian and Missionary Alliance# pp Shrering# M.A. - History of Protestant Missions in India# p He was an Anglican Missionary in China. 4 Rajah# P.D. - The Cross over India# p, Brown# W. Ashley - On the Bombay Coast and Deccan# p Madgaonkar, Govind - Mumbaiche Varnan# pp * 3CTrfr PTRr srr^rr, o tnt rrafrr ^nfr srrossrr wrat epqff*fn^r srnsrra pto V wtt S9 Ak mfir. ptc? ftnmfr srmrr, cafr osrfenr c?r pw mrft wrffir ^rz wvsr ajssurfi* ptr? q qrqrretu ^rrnrr^ci 5TTWT. aafcfrsp q*rff*wffr 3TrP PT ^fwtcf, o4t% c? fsf&z WTcTlc}. c^hfft V ^ 35TO 35TO TntPl TTTST gfffte^it f c^t# ^T'TWT^n' ^r^n^tsir z<=&k *Trf^cnaf'^ (Mumbaiche Varnan - G.N. Madgaonkar# pp )

16 84... sqq^mr «nrtr oqfl CfTTT ^ 3ftcf, fvmit cjcl, stcfr ss^tcj, jut jzrp ^frcf, vntzvr crista ^nra, sfl qtftci, #crfr smrazrr *rrft*crl #ufr ^timrit rafter* off* cf fo% ^rfhs fffei #', %tn*ro we rr^rf^ =? SftecIT 32& oto ^telt fhsff* snfao, C^T^F t^5 Tee#' Z&T spfro, o4f^ 5if ff^cl, c^ttt STHT^TT WT «ftei 4i d. <#m ##* V V9 sf?ft*h qo. 5i^ 3mrr orff, ' 38=IT mwr qirfrer f^t3t g*fal55 * N0 " (Pune Shaharache Varnan - N.V. Joshi# pp.89-90) 7 Firth# Siril Bruce - An Introduction to Indian Church History# pp Same said that Christianity took root in India at first century A.D. It is believed that St. Thomas# the apostle of Jesus Christ brought it to South India in A.D, 52. For this# there are not any original sources,, fthe real Church history even though very vague and scanty#' begins only from the 6th century. Records of dealings with churches all over South India including Ceylon are available. With the Crankanore settlement of the Syrian community# started waves of migration from West Asia to Malbar. All these

17 85 immigrants received a cordial welcome in the Malbar coast. Some copper plates belonging to the 8th or 9th century mentioning the privileges enjoyed by these refugee communities show that the kings gave them every encouragement and even positions of merit in the land. The Pahlavi language inscribed on the 7th or 8th century crosses found in Kottayam in Kerala and St. Thomas Mount in Malbar clearly show beyond doubt this community's connections with the Persoan churches. These were definitely Nestorian in tradition and custom. One more thing is very clear that among all these communities the name of Thomas Cananaus was the most venerated as perhaps he was the one who also formulated some religious customs for the community. K.V. Paul Pillai, India's Search for the Unknown Christ/ p He was the Persian Emperor deadly against Christians through traders probably ever since 343 A.D. 10 Paul Pillai# K.V. - India's Search for the Unknown Christ/ pp Ibid./ p Commissariat - A History of Gujarath, Vol. 1/ p Danvers. F.C. - The Portuguese in India, p Ibid./ p, 543.

18 86 15 Durant# Will - The Reformation - Part VI# p, 914. (The Fathers were highly educated men# trained for acute observation and scholarly writing* They made excellent use of their opportunities at the imperial court - Vincent Smith - Akbar the Great Mogul# p, Penrose# Boies - Travel and Discovery in the Renaissance# p Campbell# Thoms - The Jesuits# pp, Correia - Afonso# John - Jesuit Letters and Indian History# p. 61* 19 Pope# E.M, - India in Portuguese Literature# p (Persian# though not spoken by the ordinary people# was required for dealing with the higher classes# and especially at the Mughal Court where the Father had to attend on the Emperor. Maclagan also speaks about the Fathers' solicitude to learn the languages of India (It is quoted in the foot- note - Jesuit Letters and Indian History# p. 59). 20 Correia - Afonso# John - Op.cit.# p Francisco de Souza# Oriente Conquistado II# pp. 7-8 (Originally quoted by John Correia - Afonso - Jesuit Letters and Indian History# p. 124). 22 Quoted by John Correia - Afonso - Jesuit Letters and Indian History#' p Bendre# V.S. - Chhatrapati Sambhjaji Maharaj, p. 299 (Originally it is quoted from the PRN ). Porlyne.so* Aecorfl?S^ fijotfe.it>* Ao yn& f

19 87 24 Pissurlencar, P. - Portuguese-Marathe Sambandha, pp,60-75, 25 Mannuci, Niccolao - Storio Do Mogor, translated by Irwin, p, 136, 26 Sarkar, J. - Op.cit., p, Pagadi, Setu Madhavrao - Chhatrapati Shivaji, p Sarkar, J. - Op.cit., pp, , r_j {Originally quoted from the Bombay Gaz, XIV), 29 Bendre, V,S, - Cha. Sambhaji Maharaj, p, 310. (Originally quoted from the PRN). 30 Ibid.. p. 313, 31 Ibid., p. 315 (PRN). f * r ' , 32 SPD Vol. XXII, No. 154, KelkarV-^Vasai Chi Mohim, p S.S.R. P.D. Vol. VII, No. 754, p Ibidi, Noi 760, p Ibid..' Noi 766, p Ibid., No. 769, p.* Oturkar, P.S.A^P, better No. 29, p. 20. * srrorr =? cfferg sfh>m crrepfl- * a# oto crrepfr^ sfhm?... ssrr^. *rh>2: snw 39 O'Malley - Op.cit., p. 670.