List of Catholicoi of the East and Malankara Metropolitans

Malankara Metropolitan was a legal title given to the head of the Malankara Church

Malankara Church

The Malankara Church is the church of the Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala, India, with particular emphasis on the part of the community that joined Archdeacon Mar Thoma in swearing to resist the authority of the Portuguese Padroado in 1653...

by the Governments of Travancore

Travancore

Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...

and Cochin in South India. This title was awarded by a proclamation from the government of Travancore

Travancore

. It was first recommended in 1815, by Colonel Munro, (the British Resident in Travancore

Travancore

and Cochin) that continued till 1877. After 1877, every denomination in the Malankara Church

Malankara Church

started claiming their prelate as the Malankara Metropolitan

History

On 1 December 1808, Marthoma VII handed over a sum of 3,000 Poovarahan as a trust to the then British Resident of Travancore

Travancore

and Cochin Colonel Macaulay. This amount is known as Vattipanam.

The receipt issued by Colonel Macaulay stated that,

Colonel Macaulay the Resident of Travancore do hereby certify to have this day received from Mar Thomas Metran, Acting Metropolitan of the Syrian Church of Malabar, the amount of 3,000 Star Pagodas in the Hon'ble Company's Loan in perpetuity, and agreed to pay in Travancore, as long as the Ancient Church lasts, to the Metropolitan or Metran, or any other regularly constituted prelate annually the interest of the above amount at 8 percent, by obtaining receipt for the same.

Reason for the title's introduction

The first instalemnt of the interest was paid in 1809to the Metropolitan Mar Thoma VIII

Mar Thoma VIII

-See also:* Indian Orthodox Church*Jacobite Syrian Church* Mar Thoma Church* List of Catholicoi of the East and Malankara Metropolitans-For further reading:...

(1809-1816). In 1810, Major Munroe arrived in Travancore as the British resident. Soon Pulikottil Ittoop Joseph Ramban, of the Malankara Church

Malankara Church

met him and complained about Mar Thoma VIII

Mar Thoma VIII

-See also:* Indian Orthodox Church*Jacobite Syrian Church* Mar Thoma Church* List of Catholicoi of the East and Malankara Metropolitans-For further reading:...

. So Col. Munroe withheld the interest from 1810 to 1813.

In 1814, the interest for the four years (1810 -1813) was paid to Pulikottil Ittoop Joseph Ramban who was not the Metropolitan of the Malankara Church

Malankara Church

. Because of this gross mistake the Madras governor reprimanded Col. Munroe . For this there were only two solutions. Either Ramban Joseph refund the whole amount to the Government or be ordained as a bishop. The first was impossible. So he took the second choice. Then there were other difficulties. Mar Thoma VIII would not consecrate him and the Church will not accept him. So he went to Malabar, a place outside Travancore

Travancore

and Cochin and was ordained by Mar Philoxenos II, Kidangan.(1816–1829) of the Thozhyoor Church. At that time neither Thozhyoor Church nor its bishops were recognised by the Malankara Church

Malankara Church

.

Realizing that neither Mar Thoma VIII nor Malankara Church

Malankara Church

will accept him as a properly ordained Metropolitan, the Government of Travancore and Cochin issued a Royal proclamation (under the recommendation of British Resident Colonel Munroe) stating that all Syrian Christians should obey Pulikkottil Joseph Mar Dionysious I (Dionysious II). This was the first time a government interfeared in the internal affairs of the Malankara Church

Malankara Church

Recipients

Following Metropolitans received the title and the interest of the ‘’Vattipanam’’. This title was life long, or till they abdicated.

Year/s received	Names of recipients
1815 – 1816	Mar Thoma X. Pulikkottil Joseph Mar Dionysious I (Dionysious II)
1817 – 1829	Mar Philoxenos II, Kidangan, of the Thozhyoor Church
1829 – 1852	Cheppad Philipose Mar Dionysius (Mar Thoma XII) Cheppad Philipose Mar Dionysius (Mar Thoma XII) -See also:* Indian Orthodox Church* Mar Thoma Church* Jacobite Syrian Christian Church* List of Catholicoi of the East and Malankara Metropolitans* List of Syrian Malabar Nasranis-Further reading:...
1852 – 1877	Mar Thoma XIII, Mathews Mar Athanasius Metropolitan

The first three were consecrated by a Thozhyoor bishop and the last one by the Patriarch of Antioch.

External links

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