By Verghese V Joseph –
Mysore/Rome: In a landmark development in the history of Indian Catholic Church, the Vatican-based Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, has officially communicated to Mysore Bishop Most Rev Kannikadass Antony William that the St. Anthony’s Shrine in Dornahalli has been granted the title of Minor Basilica. Dornahalli comes under the Mysore Diocese in southern state of Karnataka.
In an official communique, the Congregation’s Archbishop Secretary Arthur Roche said, “The Dicastery is happy to send you the Decree granting the title of Minor Basilica to this important church, which, while intensifying the bond with the Church in Rome and with the Holy Father, also promotes it as an exemplar of liturgical and pastoral action within the Diocese. May the Church of St. Anthony be a centre where the people of Dornahalli and beyond have their faith confirmed through the worthy celebration of sacred mysteries.”
Mysore Bishop William shared the good news to the community. “I thank God for this special status granted by our Catholic Church to Dornahalli in particular and to the Diocese of Mysore in general. May we honour more and more St. Antony of Padua in Dornahalli and receive God’s abundant blessings through his powerful intercessions,” Bishop William exclaimed.
This decree means that by this declaration, the Catholic Church intensifies the bond with the Church in Rome and the Holy Father by promoting an exemplar of liturgical and pastoral action with the diocese.
Bishop William and Rector of St. Antony’s Shrine thanked the Congregation of Divine Worship and Discipline of Sacraments, Rome for accepting their petition and granting the title of Minor Basilica to St. Antony’s Shrine at Dornahalli. They also thanked Karnataka Regional Catholic Bishop’s Council and the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India for recommending this cause. He also thanked Most Rev Dr Thomas A Vazhapilly, Bishop Emeritus of the diocese of Mysore and former rectors and parish priest for initiating this process.
The story of Doranahalli goes back to some 200 years. That day it is said, a peasant of Doranahalli was ploughing his fields with a pair of bullocks. To a surprise, something struck the plough and the farmer stopped his work to look at it. It was a human faced wooden doll. The farmer took it in his hands and closely examined it. To his surprise it was not eaten away by the termites being in the mud for several years. The farmer thought it a wonder. He kept it aside thinking that it could be a toy for his kids and continued his ploughing task. The doll went with him to his home in the evening and suffered torture at the hands of his innocent kids.
On that night the farmer was in his dreams and to a surprise the wooden doll appeared to him like a sage. The sage in sanyasi robes told him not to dishonour the doll and promised him all good he wished. But next morning the farmer ignored it and carried on with his normal works. Later in the due course of time he lost his oxen, his intimates died and children fell ill. He was shaken now and began to recollect the events preceding these calamities. He then thought of the dream and realised that there he erred. He repented and built a small temple in his field at the spot where he found the doll and began worshipping it. Thus all his ailments were healed and he prospered.
Several years later he met a Christian priest at Mysore who was wearing the dress resembling the doll, narrated him about the doll. The priest accompanied him to his village and closely watched the small 13 inches wooden doll, which didn’t have hands. He, at once, recognised it as the statue of St. Anthony with its revealing characteristics. He then beatified the temple, made it a church.
It is recorded in the history that the Franciscan missionaries were on the missionary work around south India during the period of Vijayanagara Empire. But the Jesuits entered the Mysore province only after 1648 AD. These Jesuits were fond of Francis Xavier and Ignatius Loyola. Definitely they wouldn’t have planted Anthony cult. Later after the end of Tippu Sultan in 1799, somewhere around 1803 AD Abbe du Bois entered Mysore province under the banner of Paris Foreign Mission (MEP). So we can surely conclude that the statue found at Doranahalli is the one belonging to the Franciscan missionaries and its date can be pointed to 14th to 16th century AD.
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