Periyanayagi Madha Shrine is a famous Roman Catholic Church dedicated to Mother Mary of Jesus. Constructed in the 17th century by an Italian Jesuit missionary Fr. Constantine Beschi who is also called as Veeramamunivar (Father of Tamil prose), the Church is located in Konankuppam, Mangalampettai, Cuddalore District in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Every year the church carnival with flag hosting is held for ten days from January 14 to 23.
Born in Italy’s Castiglione delle Stiviere in 1680, Beschi got his secondary education in the Jesuits’ High School at Mantua. After becoming a Jesuit in 1698, he was trained in Ravenna and Bologna from where he requested and obtained, from Superior General Michelangelo Tamburini, permission to be sent to the Jesuit mission at Madurai in South India. Sailing from Lisbon he reached Goa in October 1710, from where he proceeded immediately to South India. He arrived in Madurai in May 1711.
Picture by Annie Monisha
Inspired by what was done in China, Beschi adopted the native Tamilians’ lifestyle in his life and in his missionary work. For example, he adopted the saffron coloured robe generally worn by a sannyasi (Indian ascetic). He visited several important centres such as Tirunelveli, Ramanathapuram, Thanjavur and, of course, Madurai to learn the Tamil language. He met with persecution in 1714–15 and escaped a death sentence. This gave him more time to master the Tamil language in which he soon showed great proficiency.
During the first six years, he worked as a missionary in Elakurichy, a town near Tiruvaiyaru. Then he served as parish priest in Kamanayakkanpatti, one of the oldest mission centres in Tamil Nadu. He worked in the Thanjavur area till 1738 and settled in 1740 on the Coromandel coast where he remained till the end of his life.
The Story Behind The Church
Picture by Annie Monisha
The place where Perianayagi Madha Shrine is located was once a forest place. People used to come here for feeding their flocks. In the 17th century, Fr. Beshi, brought two statues of Mother Mary to be kept in the place where he worked, namely Elakuruchi / Thirukavalur ( Now in Kumbakonam Diocese). He preached all over Tamil Nadu and on the way to his place he happened to pass over this forest and due to tiredness he slept under a tree with the two statues. The boys, who were looking after the cattle, playfully hid one of the statues behind the bush. Fr. Beshi was shocked to know that one of the statues was missing and went to his place sadly.
Legend has it that there was a man called Kachirayar in M. Parur a village in Cuddalore district. He had no child. Every day he used to pray to God. One day Our Lady appeared to him in his dream and said, “Kachirayar, I’m alone in the forest if you build a chapel for me, I’ll give a child to you”. After saying this she disappeared. Hearing this, he was very much happy and began to search for the statue in the forest. As they cut the bushes and trees, they found the statue behind a big bush. This statue is placed in the shrine till today. People constructed a small chapel and placed this statue there and began to worship.
Picture by Annie Monisha
After some time Fr. Beshi happened to hear about this and came to Konankuppam and saw the small chapel built for the statue which he lost once. He was very much delighted and decided to make Konankuppam as his work place. He constructed the shrine which exists today. It is said to have been the first place of worship he erected and when it was completed he went to Madras and asked the Bishop of Mylapore to procure for him a statue from Manila, an image of the virgin, in native dress of Tamilnadu and bearing the child Jesus in her arms, fashioned after a model he had made. The image eventually arrived and was set up in the church.
This life-size statue stands on a pedestal about ten feet high and is made of wood and painted in bright colours. In honour of it and of the Church, Beschi composed his Tamil Poem ‘Tembavani’, which vying in length with the Iliad itself is by far the most celebrated and most voluminous of his works. He completed this work in the year 1726. The Tamil conference conducted in Madurai during 1728 – 1729 AD approved his work and published it to imbibe the greatness of this literary work.
He also helped build the Poondi Matha Basilica at Poondi near Thanjavur, Vyagula Matha Church at Thanjavur and Adaikala Maadha Shrine at Elakurichi. These churches are now Catholic pilgrim centres.
He died at Ambalakaadu in Thrissur, Kingdom of Cochin (now a part of the state of Kerala), and is buried at Sampaloor, where his tomb can be seen.
Annie Monisha
To get a pulse of the feast of Our Lady of Periyanayagi at Konankuppam, our reporter Annie Monisha traveled all the way to Mangalampettai, Cuddalore District and visited the famous Shrine.
The church built by Fr. Beschi beckons thousands of people to during the feast and throughout the year.
Annie also had the opportunity to talk to Rector and Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. V. Aruldass for his views on the significance of the feast and on Fr. Beschi. Click to view the video.
Fr Beschi’s Literary Works
Beschi compiled the first Tamil lexicon – a Tamil-Latin dictionary. He also compiled the comprehensive Chaturakarati (சதுரகராதி), a quadruple lexicon containing words, synonyms, and categories of words and rhymes.
He translated and explained in Latin the “Thirukkural”, an epic poem of Thiruvalluvar. This Latin work was an eye opener for European intellectuals, enabling them to discover truth and beauty in Tamil literature. He also translated into European languages several other important Tamil literary works such as Devaaram (தேவாரம்), Thiruppugazh (திருப்புகழ்), Nannool (நன்னூல்) and Aaththichoodi (ஆத்திசூடி).
Besides composing literary Tamil Grammar work, he also wrote a grammar for the common use of Tamil (Urai nadai illakkiyam – உரை நடை இலக்கியம்), which at times led to him being referred to as the ‘Father of Tamil Prose’.
Earlier Tamil scripts were written without the tittle (புள்ளி) for consonants, and the symbol ர was used to indicate long vowels. It was Veeramamunivar who introduced the system of dotting the Tamil consonants (க், ங், ச், … ) and writing the long vowels as ஆ instead of அர, கா instead of கர, etc.
His biggest poetical work is the Thembavani (தேம்பாவணி – The Unfading Garland – an ornament of poems as sweet as honey), 3615 stanzas long on salvation history and the life of Saint Joseph. He also wrote a prabandham (a minor literature) called Kaavalur Kalambagam (காவலூர் கலம்பகம்), a grammatical treatise called Thonnool (தொன்னூல்), a guide book for catechists with the title Vedhiyar Ozukkam (வேதியர் ஒழுக்கம்), and Paramarthaguruvin Kadhai (பரமார்த்த குருவின் கதை – The Adventures of Guru Paramartha), a satirical piece on a naive religious teacher and his equally obtuse disciples. His prose works include polemical writings against the Lutheran missionaries and didactic religious books for the instruction of Catholics.
Prayer to Our Lady of Perianayagi
Oh! Holy Mother of God Perianayagi enshrined as the Queen of Konankuppam. You are the channel of heavenly graces and gifts. We grasp your lotus feet and beseech your loving care and intercession to keep us always under your mantle for a safe and happy journey in this world of sin and tears. Be ever with us to console in our sickness, sufferings and sorrows. Help us to help others in want and distress. When our last minute is at hand, keep us on your Holy Lap to take us to your Son and Our Lord Jesus Christ to enjoy heavenly bliss forever and ever Amen.
Statue of Periya Nayagi
Picture by Annie Monisha
Picture by Annie Monisha
Picture by Annie MonishaAnnie Monisha
Nice historical account. Thanks.