Mar Emmanuel Nidhiri (27 May 1842 – 20 June 1904), also known as Nidhiry Mani Kathanar, was a significant figure in the history of the
Syrian Malabar Nasrani
The Saint Thomas Christians, also called Syrian Christians of India, ''Marthoma Suriyani Nasrani'', ''Malankara Nasrani'', or ''Nasrani Mappila'', are an Ethnoreligious group, ethno-religious community of Indian Christians in the state of Ker ...
church in Kerala. He led the community against the European hegemony over the
Saint Thomas Christian
The Saint Thomas Christians, also called Syrian Christians of India, ''Marthoma Suriyani Nasrani'', ''Malankara Nasrani'', or ''Nasrani Mappila'', are an ethno-religious community of Indian Christians in the state of Kerala (Malabar region), ...
s and was a popular leader accepted by the factions in the Kerala church. Nidhiri was the second Vicar General of the
Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
lat, Ecclesia Syrorum-Malabarensium mal, മലബാറിലെ സുറിയാനി സഭ
, native_name_lang=, image = St. Thomas' Cross (Chennai, St. Thomas Mount).jpg
, caption = The Mar Thoma Nasrani Sl ...
.
Nidhiri founded the ''Nazranee Deepika'', which was the forerunner of today's ''
Deepika'' newspaper, and was instrumental in the founding of another newspaper, the ''
Malayala Manorama
''Malayala Manorama'' is a morning newspaper in Malayalam published from Kottayam, Kerala, India by the Malayala Manorama Company Limited. Currently headed by Mammen Mathew; it was first published as a weekly on 22 March 1888, and currently has ...
''. Furthermore, Nidhiri had a role in organizing the Malayali Memorial— one of the first steps in the social transformation of Kerala —and was a key figure in the opening up of his community to English education.
In 1969, as a tribute to his contribution to Malayalam literature, the Kerala Literary Academy unveiled his portrait in the Academy Hall in Trichur, Kerala.
Life
Born into a rich agrarian family on 27 May 1842, in
Kuravilangad
Kuravilangad is an Indian town located in the northern part of the Kottayam district in Kerala. It is situated in the Meenachil taluk, about 22 km north of the district capital Kottayam and 17 km west of the municipal town Pala.
Ku ...
, Nidhiri entered spiritual service at the age of 19 as a deacon, the title of which he worked under for 14 years, before he was ordained priest in 1876.
Nidhiri lived during a delicate period in the history of the
Syro-Malabar Church
lat, Ecclesia Syrorum-Malabarensium mal, മലബാറിലെ സുറിയാനി സഭ
, native_name_lang=, image = St. Thomas' Cross (Chennai, St. Thomas Mount).jpg
, caption = The Mar Thoma Nasrani Sl ...
; the church was subdued by the Latin hierarchy and was struggling to become a Major Archiepiscopal Church. During this time, the Indian people were revolting against the British administration for independence, and Nidhiri had to confront and respond to the struggles of freedom from the community against the British dynasty and its ecclesial desire to become an autonomous church.
Kathanar died on 20 June 1904, due to unknown reasons.
Contributions
* Education: Nidhiri was one of the key figures in the opening up of English education to
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
as well as to the
Syriac Catholic
The Syriac Catholic Church ( syc, ܥܕܬܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܬܐ ܩܬܘܠܝܩܝܬܐ, ʿĪṯo Suryayṯo Qaṯolīqayṯo, ar, الكنيسة السريانية الكاثوليكية) is an Eastern Catholic Christian jurisdiction originating in t ...
community. He advised Catholic parishes to sell crucifixes made of gold and silver and to invest the amount into the opening of schools.
* Media: Nidhiri was the founder and editor of the first Malayalam daily, ''Deepika'', and was instrumental in the founding of another newspaper, the ''Malayala Manorama''.
* Social Reforms: Nidhiri was one of the main forces behind the Malayali Memorial of 1891, which was one of the first steps in the social transformation of Kerala. Following the formation of the Travancore Legislative Council in 1888, the Malayali Memorial, a memorandum bearing the signatures of over 10,000 people, including those of
Ezhavas
The Ezhavas () are a community with origins in the region of India presently known as Kerala, where in the 2010s they constituted about 23% of the population and were reported to be the largest Hindu community. They are also known as ''Ilhava ...
,
Christians
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
, and
Muslims
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...
, was submitted to the Maharajah,
Moolam Thirunal
Sir Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma (1857–1924) was Maharajah of the princely state of Travancore between 1885 and 1924, succeeding his uncle Maharajah Visakham Thirunal (1880–1885).
Early life and education
Mulam Thirunal Rama Varma was bo ...
. This was a result of the emergence of a Tamil Brahmin monopoly of policy positions in government and the subsequent decline of caste groups from within Kerala.
* Poet and Writer: Nidhiri wrote number of poems and authored three Malayalam books.
* Ecumenicalism: The ecumenical association, Nasrani Jathiaikya Sangham, organized by Nidhiri and
Mar Dionysius, the
Malankara Church
The Malankara Church, also known as ''Puthenkur'' and more popularly as Jacobite Syrians, is the historic unified body of West Syriac Saint Thomas Christian denominations which claim ultimate origins from the missions of Thomas the Apostle. ...
Metropolitan, was one of the important happenings in
Syrian Christians Syrian or Syriac Christians may refer to
* Adherents of Christianity in Syria
* Adherents of Syriac Christianity, various Christian bodies of Syriac traditions, especially:
** Syriac/Assyrian/Aramean people, Christian neo-Aramaic speakers through ...
history. They acquired property at
Kottayam
Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south-we ...
for building a college in 1875, and planned for the opening of colleges, schools, orphanages, libraries, banks, etc. The project was aborted by the diplomatic approach of the Carmelite apostolic delegate Aiuti who was afraid of unity among the
Syrian Christians Syrian or Syriac Christians may refer to
* Adherents of Christianity in Syria
* Adherents of Syriac Christianity, various Christian bodies of Syriac traditions, especially:
** Syriac/Assyrian/Aramean people, Christian neo-Aramaic speakers through ...
. It was the leadership of Nidhiri that fostered a unity among the Syriac Catholics from within and with the Jacobites.
* Apologist of faith: Nidhiri led his community in its fight against the European hegemony over the Nasrani Christians. It was in this fight with the
Syriac Catholics under the leadership of Nidhiri that freed the people from
Padroado
The ''Padroado'' (, "patronage") was an arrangement between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Portugal and later the Portuguese Republic, through a series of concordats by which the Holy See delegated the administration of the local churches and gr ...
jurisdiction, paving the way for indigenous Bishops.
* Historian: Nidhiri had also authored a number of religious historical texts and was on the forefront of upholding the Chaldean patrimony of the
Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
lat, Ecclesia Syrorum-Malabarensium mal, മലബാറിലെ സുറിയാനി സഭ
, native_name_lang=, image = St. Thomas' Cross (Chennai, St. Thomas Mount).jpg
, caption = The Mar Thoma Nasrani Sl ...
.
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kathanar, Nidhiry Mani
Syro-Malabar priests
Malayali people
1842 births
1904 deaths
Malayalam-language journalists
Writers from Kottayam
19th-century Indian journalists
Journalists from Kerala
19th-century Indian educational theorists
Indian editors
English-language writers from India
Indian religious writers
Poets from Kerala
19th-century Indian poets
Scholars from Kerala
Christian clergy from Kottayam