Aruvithura Church: Story of Vallyachan

 

The spread of the Christianity to the east is credited to the work of the Apostles of Jesus who went to different parts of the world to preach the way of God. In India word of Jesus was spread by one of his most favourite apostle’s, St Thomas who came to the shores of Kodungallur in 52 AD. The Aruvithura St George Forane church is considered to have been built in 159 AD, long after St Thomas died but the importance of this divine land is that the apostle erected a stone cross at this place on his visit along the backwaters.

The name of the place is said to have been given by the merchants from Tamil Nadu who traded along these backwaters bringing their goods from the western Ghats to the ports of Muziris. It is said that the Meenachil river canals seemed more like a sea & the banks formed a port for disembarking goods. The presence of a waterfall around the confluence of the rivers made the merchants name the place as Aruvi-thura (port made by river). It is also believed that the place at the time of St Thomas’s visit was called Irapeli which was a Jewish settlement. The Jewish traders who resided in these parts were overwhelmed by the preaching of the apostle & are said to have converted to Christianity. St Thomas upon arrival converted a small family at Irapeli & placed a stone cross for the people to pray. It was only years later in the 2nd century that a small church made of rocks & stones was constructed at the site. The people did not have any blueprint of a church & are said to have constructed a small house with the available stones from the river bed. 

The Aruvithura church is said to have been constructed 4 times in history & each time it was the result of an important event. The first church built in the 2nd century with rocks & stones lasted for over 6 centuries until a new church was constructed in the design of a temple. The church thus built had a long prayer hall made of stone with the cross placed at the end. The arrival of Portuguese by the end of 15th century brought members of different congregations to Kerala & the Aruvithura church was reconstructed with a blueprint of a church. The new church was built with long prayer halls, plastered walls & a decorated high altar. It was at this time that the church was dedicated to Virgin Mary. For over a century the church was called the St Mary’s church & it was only in the 16th century that the reverence to St George came about after the people believed in the miracles of the most celebrated crusader. It is said that a devastating flood destroyed the nearby village of Nilackal. The Chayal church was built by St Thomas & the people in the village were believers in St George. The people of the church fled to Aruvithura carrying the most divine statue of St George & took refuge at the Irapeli. These people who came to Aruvithura are said to have not returned to Nilackal & in years many miracles at the church happened when people prayed to St George. The local name for St George was GeeVarghese but the people of Aruvithura fondly called him Vallyachan which is not heard anywhere else & so the reverence of the church was based on the miracles of Aruvithura Vallyachan and even today the belief exists. The final construction happened in 1951 when the outer structure was redesigned in a gothic style. Only the portion of the church which housed the statue of St George was kept intact while all the other structures around were redesigned. A tall belfry at the entrance & a 15ft tall statue of Jesus Christ at the top were added giving it a beautiful facade. The church is a cruciform design & faces Jerusalem according to the oriental liturgical tradition.

The reverence to Vallyachan at the church is further propagated by the celebration of hike to the Kondoor hills which is today called Vallyachan Mala. The hillock has a shrine which houses the statue of St George brought by the faithful from Nilackal. At the top of the hill is a tall cross made of concrete overlooking the lands below & it commemorates the event of placing of a stone cross here by St Thomas. The hike up the hill to the shrine is considered to be an event of enduring the pain of Jesus & the completion of the walk up the hills is a moment of salvation for all the devotees. The walk up the hillock is a journey of great happiness for all as reaching the summit gives them the most beautiful view of the landscape, the breeze flowing along the green pastures provides solace, praying in front of the Nalpamara cross & being with the homeless in the Vallyachan village is a way to remember the teachings of Jesus. 

The Aruvithura church annual festival is a time of great celebrations & the whole village becomes a venue for the faithful who come from far & wide. The church conducts special services on Friday as it is the day of martyrdom of St George & the 15 days festival at the church in April is a grand celebration where devotees from all over come to the banks of the river to see the procession where the divine statue of Vallyachan is taken from its pedestal for all to see. The miracles at the church have been many & is a place of unusual rituals like the blessing of Elephants which is only seen here. The Aruvithura church today along with Vallyachan Mala is a place which brings to light the importance of the Christian faith & how it has endured along centuries creating a community of importance in Kerala.