മാര്‍ തോമ സ്ലീഹയും അതിശയ മണല്‍ മാതാവും !!

ഭാരതത്തില്‍ എത്തിയ തോമസ്ലീഹ രോഗ ബാധിതന്‍ ആയിരുന്ന പാണ്ട്യ രാജാവായ കണ്ടപ്പ രാസായെ കാണാന്‍ എത്തുകയും അദ്ധേഹത്തെ സുഘപ്പെടുതുകയും ചെയ്തു .ഇതിനു പ്രതുപകാരം ആയി പാണ്ട്യ രാജാവ് തോമസ്ലീഹക്ക് ഒരു ദേവാലയം പണിയുവാന്‍ ഉള്ള സ്ഥലം നല്‍കി എന്ന് പറയപ്പെടുന്നു .ഈ സ്ഥലത്ത് തോമസ്ലീഹ ദൈവമാതാവിന്റെ നാമത്തില്‍ (മാര്‍ത്ത മറിയം ) പനയോല കൊണ്ട് ഒരു ദേവാലയം നിര്‍മിക്കുകയും അതിനു മധ്യത്തിലായി ഒരു സ്ലീബ (മാര്‍ത്തോമ കുരിശു ) സ്ഥാപിക്കുകയും കുരിശിന്റെ നാമത്തില്‍ പ്രാര്‍ഥന നടത്താന്‍ വിശ്വാസികളോട് ആഹ്വാനാം ചെയ്യുകയും ചെയ്തു .തോമ ശ്ലീഹായുടെ മരണ ശേഷം മാതാവിന്റെ നാമത്തില്‍ അദ്ദേഹം സ്ഥാപിച്ച പള്ളിവിസ്മൃതിയില്‍ ആണ്ടു എന്ന് വിശ്വസിക്കപെടുന്നു .പതിനാലാം നൂറ്റാണ്ടില്‍ വീണ്ടു ആഗത്മറിയം എന്നാ ഒരു സ്ത്രീക്ക് മാതാവിന്റെ ദര്‍ശനം ഉണ്ടാവുകയും,തന്റെ നാമത്തില്‍ തോമസ്ലീഹ സ്ഥാപിച്ച അതെ സ്ഥലത്ത് ഒരു ദേവാലയം നിര്‍മിക്കാന്‍ ആവശ്യപ്പെടുകയും ചെയ്തു എന്ന് വിശ്വസിക്കപെടുന്നു.

In the first century, there was a place called Manaveera pandiya nadu, where the southern tip of India was under the regime of pandiya ruler. That place was very fertile, surrounded be good numbers of crane and rivers, pandiya ruler, kandappa rasa and his family were suffering from a lot of disease. The king came to know about the miraculous power of St. Thomas who was later called upon to visit that place. As ST. THOMAS visited, he healed the sufferings of the king and his people embraced christianity and followed it.

As a token of gratitude and respect, the king donated 3 cents of land to ST. THOMAS to built a church for Mother Mary near kanakkankudieruppu. St. Thomas built the church with palm leaves, embibed the Holy Cross and urged the people to pray the cross.

After the demise of St. Thomas, no Bishops and priests came there for more than five centuries and so that Matha church disappeared.In the forteenth century, Mother Mary appeared in Aagath Marian’s dream, asking him to construct a small church in a place where a thatched church by St.Thomas disappeared Next day, Aagath Marian and the village people came to the place, indicated by Mother Mary during the dream at night, and built a small church in the same place. In the same century, the Most Rev. Geovani Marineoli, the respresentative of pope to China came to kanakkankudieruppu, constructed the present ancient church and established the present Matha statue.

പാണ്ട്യനാടിലെ സുറിയാനി മാ ര്‍ഗം

(അള്‍ത്താരയും മാര്‍ത്തോമ സ്ലീബയും )-മണല്‍ മാതാ പള്ളി തമിള്‍നാട്

In the sixteenth century, ST. XAVIER came to know about this place and its people who were the followers of St. Thomas so he was interested to visit the Matha church.(Martha mariyam?) When he visited Matha church, a lady was seen weeping with her dead son beside her. As St. Xavier saw all these, he was moved and started praying to Matha. The dead son got back to his life. This incident was handwritten in a diary by St. Xavier and kept in Rome.

As years rolled by, the advent of the 17th century people at kanakkankudieruppu led a corrupted life. They had a lot of fun and frolic without religious faith, people were going away from the moral conviction especially youngsters did a lot of moral blunders. There was a widow who was survived by the crane in the rivers which used to bring fishes for the lady in order to get her daily means. She collected the fishes, sold for money and led a life. People around here were badmouthing about her. She was helpless in her life. She was called illegitimate woman and brought her to the king, Duravi Pandian.

They narrated all her activities to the king. She was accused of leading a corrupted life and was rewarded a big punishment. The king made a hole on the top of her head, poured the kerosine through the funnel and gutted her mercilessly.

Out of rage and fury, she appealed to Matha to save her and condemn them for their wrong doings. She curshed them abundantly. As a result the sea of sand was fallen from the heaven by the wrath of Matha and so the people were submerged and sunk in to the earth. Thus the sand was red.

In the end of 18th century, a small guy, shephered used to walk in that place. While he was walking, he knocked down by the object which he imagined that it would be a stick inside the sand. Unexpectedly he heard a voice from heaven, asking him to dig the sand to knoe what the stick was. As he dug inside he came to know that it was a HOLY CROSS. Shocked by that, he called sokkankudieruppu priest and people and shared his experience with them. After listening that, people got moved and excavated that place. To their dismay and surprise, they saw the beautiful magnificent church inside. When they got in, they witnessed the unburnt light and glittering Matha statue inside. Thus they called Matha “ATHISAYA MANALMATHA” Later the people of sokkankudieruppu constructed the steeple upon that.

Sokkan Kudieruppu comprises of several villages and even today people here have immense faith in St.Thomas and Christianity.

Site:http://www.manalmatha.com/