CATEGORY : MAJOR TOWNS
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| Niranam Church |
A small village in Central Travancore -
Thiruvalla Taluk, Pathanamthitta Dist. St. Thomas, the disciple of Jesus Christ
visited this place in AD 52 and 53. Kannassa Kavikal or the Niranam Poets lived
in this area. Niranam today is a small village.
It occupied a central place in ancient Kerala,
as an important port, being on the confluence of the Manimala and Achenkoil
Rivers. It is almost 5 km distant from.
This beautiful village has a rich tradition of literature, cultural exchange and religious harmony. According to historians and geologists, Niranam was a sea port hundreds of years ago, having trade relations with the Roman Empire and the Middle East. This fact was confirmed by the discovery of ancient Roman coins from Niranam and nearby areas by archeologists. Niranam is also mentioned in the writings of Pliny and Cosmos Indico Pleustes as a trade centre. The references to 'Nelcyndis' is construed as a reference to a port near Kollam and the probability is either Kollam or present day Niranam. Geologists suggest that sea retracted from this area due to some major geographical changes. The great flood of 1341 AD also had helped to shift the sea westwards as a result of the silt filling in the direct sea route from Niranam. Even today the soil of nearby areas of Niranam is sandy and resembles beaches, though presently these places are not in proximity of sea.
This beautiful village has a rich tradition of literature, cultural exchange and religious harmony. According to historians and geologists, Niranam was a sea port hundreds of years ago, having trade relations with the Roman Empire and the Middle East. This fact was confirmed by the discovery of ancient Roman coins from Niranam and nearby areas by archeologists. Niranam is also mentioned in the writings of Pliny and Cosmos Indico Pleustes as a trade centre. The references to 'Nelcyndis' is construed as a reference to a port near Kollam and the probability is either Kollam or present day Niranam. Geologists suggest that sea retracted from this area due to some major geographical changes. The great flood of 1341 AD also had helped to shift the sea westwards as a result of the silt filling in the direct sea route from Niranam. Even today the soil of nearby areas of Niranam is sandy and resembles beaches, though presently these places are not in proximity of sea.
Probably the importance of Niranam as a port
paved for the arrival of St Thomas here in the first century AD and then led to
the establishment of a church and community here, most probably a Jewish
trading community, who became Christians and later were controlled by the
Syrian Church of Antioch and Edessa. The Christian community in Niranam is thus
one of the oldest, anywhere in the world.
Now almost all Christian Churches and denominations as well as other religions have a presence in Niranam. All are living in harmony and take part in festivals of other religions.
Now almost all Christian Churches and denominations as well as other religions have a presence in Niranam. All are living in harmony and take part in festivals of other religions.
Niranam poets (AD 1350-1450)
In the 14th century Niranam gave birth to a
group of three poets who became well-known as Niranam Poets. They were Madhava
Panikkar, Sankara Panikkar and Rama Panikkar of the Kannassa family. The first
two were the uncles of Rama Panikkar. The lived between AD 1350 and 1450.
Before their period the poetry of Kerala was a mix of Malayalam and Sanskrit,
known as ‘manipravala'. Niranam poets were instrumental in successfully freeing
the literature from the influence of this mix. The appearance of modern
Malayalam language starts with the works of Niranam poets. Their success led to
the gradual replacement of the manipravala cult of worldliness and sensual
revelry by an indigenous poetics of high seriousness. Their works are
collectively known as Niranam Works.