HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Palayūr, also called Palayoor and historically as Palur, is a town near
Chavakkad Chavakkad, formerly Chowghat, is a municipality in Thrissur district of Kerala state in India. It is a suburban town of Thrissur city. Chavakkad is noted for its beach and fishing. It lies on National Highway 66 is located about north of the ...
, Thrissur district,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. It is famous for its ancient church, Palayur Mar Thoma Church, which is believed to be one of the seven major churches founded by
Saint Thomas the Apostle Thomas the Apostle ( arc, 𐡀𐡌𐡅𐡕𐡌, hbo, תוֹמא הקדוש or תוֹמָא שליחא (''Toma HaKadosh'' "Thomas the Holy" or ''Toma Shlikha'' "Thomas the Messenger/Apostle" in Hebrew-Aramaic), syc, ܬܐܘܡܐ, , meaning "twi ...
in
Malabar Malabar may refer to the following: People * Malabars, people originating from the Malabar region of India * Malbars or Malabars, people of Tamil origin in Réunion Places * Malabar Coast, or Malabar, a region of the southwestern shoreline o ...
in 52 AD. It is the assumed to be first Christian Church in India.


History

According to
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), ...
tradition, Saint Thomas arrived in 50 AD at
Muziris Muziris ( grc, Μουζιρίς, Old Malayalam: ''Muciri'' or ''Muciripattanam'' possibly identical with the medieval ''Muyirikode'') was an ancient harbour and an urban centre on the Malabar Coast. Muziris found mention in the ''Periplus of ...
(Kodungallūr) with Jewish merchants for the propagation of
Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
's message and through the sea route reached Palayur in 52 AD and built the Church here. Palayur also had a flourishing
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
settlement known as the ''Judankunnu'' (Jews' Hill). Palayur was connected from the first century onwards even up to this day to other ancient trade centres of Kerala, especially Muziris, by rivers and backwaters. The river and backwater system in the erstwhile
Cochin State The Kingdom of Cochin, named after its capital in the city of Kochi (Cochin), was a kingdom in the central part of present-day Kerala state. It commenced at the early part of the 12th century and continued to rule until 1949, when monarchy wa ...
opens out into the sea at Chettuwaye, Cranganur and
Cochin Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...
with the three of the seven Thomasine churches at Palur, Kodungallur, and
Parur North Paravur. formerly known as Paravur or Parur, is a municipality and suburb in Ernakulam district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is a northern suburb of the city of Kochi and is situated around 20 km from the city centre. It is ...
connected together by this system. People from far off lands have found their way to Kerala and to Palayoor since ancient times. The coast was familiar country to the
Phoenicians Phoenicia () was an ancient Semitic-speaking peoples, ancient thalassocracy, thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-st ...
, the Romans, the
Arabs The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...
and the
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
long before
Vasco da Gama Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira (; ; c. 1460s – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea. His initial voyage to India by way of Cape of Good Hope (1497–1499) was the first to link E ...
arrived in 1498. Palayur was the stronghold of the Brahmins. When St. Thomas arrived from Kodungallur, Jews had a settlement at Palayur, two thousand years ago. Ruins of an ancient Jewish synagogue are still seen outside of a Brahmin temple about a furlong away from the Church.


Jews of Palayur

Palayur was an important settlement of
Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
in Malabar. The remnants of Jewish synagogue is known as the ''Judankunnu'', literally meaning the 'hill of the Jews'. Palayur, popularly known as Palur among the Mappila Jews, is of great importance in many their Malayalam folk songs and other local Jewish traditions.


Christianity in Palayur and Palayur Church

Palayur Mar Thoma Major Archiepiscopal Church Palayur. is unique in that the present church has a continuous history of two millennia and stands on the same spot where the apostle first established it. The first church founded by St. Thomas continued to exist for many centuries and we know that in 1607 the Italian Jesuit
Giacomo Fenicio Rev. Fr. Giacomo Fenicio (1558 - 1632), also known as Arthunkal Veluthachan, Jacomo Fenicio or Jacob Fenicio was an Italians, Italian Jesuit priest, scholar, theologian, and missionary in India. He served in South India as a priest and missionary ...
with permission from the ecclesiastical authorities, to construct a more convenient church around the existing old structure for the parish of Palayur. The church was under Mar
Elias Mellus Mar Yohannan Elias Mellus (or ''Milos'', ''Milus'') (1831–1908) was a bishop of the Chaldean Catholic Church. Elias Mellus was born on September 19, 1831, in Mardin. He entered in the monastery of Rabban Hormizd in Alqosh. On September 21, 1856 ...
and Mar Mikhail Agustinos during their tenure. The Thrissur Archdiocesan authorities are today wholeheartedly committed to the cause of developing Palayur into the focus of national and international pilgrim tourism in South India. The Palayur church was elevated as the first Archdiocesan pilgrim centre on 16 April 2000. The relic of St. Thomas conveyed from Ortona, Italy was established in the main altar of the church. The 30 km long annual Lenten Mahatheerthadanam or great pilgrimage on foot from the Thrissur to Palayur has conducted in every year.


Industry


Coir


Palayoor coir company

Chavakkad was once the center of the coir industry. After cultivation, coir production was the most important source of livelihood for the people of the coastal areas. In 1957, a coir industry unit was formed in Palayur under the leadership of Fr.  Initially, the unit was located at the site of the Palayur SABS Convent.  The ropes required for the Palayur church (manikayar, coconut tying rope) were mainly used by the Maayu export company to provide employment to the locals.  Home-based and small units operated here.  Workers from other areas came here in search of work. Years later the church's coir company ceased to exist.  After that a coir society was started in Palayur North under the leadership of Poonthath Muhammaduni.  Today the industry is at a complete standstill.  Coir was made from Palayur and nearby areas and shipped from Chavakkad ferry to Kochi and Kozhikode. The reality is that the coir industry was the most important non-agricultural sector in Kerala during the formation of the state of Kerala.


How to reach

Palayoor is a part of Trichur District and is located on the west Coast of Kerala. By road it takes 28 km to reach Palayur from Trichur. It is on Trichur – Chavakkad route, via Pavaratty. To travel by train catch Trichur – Guruvayur train (24 km). From Guruvayur to Palayoor take a bus or a taxi/auto rickshaw (2 km). Nedumbasserry International Airport is only 80 km from Palayoor.


Road

Buses ply regularly between Palayoor/Chavakkad/Guruvayoor/Thrissur and all major towns in Kerala and South India. *From the North: Kuttippuram-Kunnamkulam-Chavakkad-Palayoor *From the South: Kodungallur-Chettuva-Chavakkad-Palayoor *From the East: Thrissur-Kanjany-Enammavu-Pavaratty-Palayoor *N.B. Chavakkad Palayur distance: 0.75 km *Guruvayur Palayur distance: 2.00 km


Train

Direct trains connect Thrissur with all major Indian cities like Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, Chennai, Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Trivandrum..... Some trains proceed from Thrissur up to Guruvayur. *N.B. Thrissur railway station is 25 km from Palayur *Guruvayur railway station is 3 km from Palayur


Air

* Palayur is equidistant (less than 90 km) from the following airports: * Kochi International Airport, Nedumbassery * Calicut International Airport, Karippur * Coimbatore Airport is 140 km from Palayoor


Waterways

*Waterways transport is not as active as it was in the early days *Initiatives are taken by the government in this mode of transport *Once it is active, one could make use of
Canoli Canal Conolly Canal, sometimes spelled as Canoly Canal, is the part of the West coast canal (WCC) network of Kerala and the canal was constructed by combining the rivers and streams along the coast with the intention of creating a vast waterway from Ko ...
its sub-canals to reach Palayoor Church.


See also

*
Timeline of Thrissur Thrissur () is the administrative capital of Thrissur District, in the central part of Kerala state, India. Thrissur district was formed on 1 July 1949. It is an important cultural centre, and is known as the Cultural Capital of Kerala. It is fa ...
*
Saint Thomas Christians The Saint Thomas Christians, also called Syrian Christians of India, ''Marthoma Suriyani Nasrani'', ''Malankara Nasrani'', or ''Nasrani Mappila'', are an ethno-religious An ethnoreligious group (or an ethno-religious group) is a grouping of ...


Monuments at Palayoor

* Boat Jetty (Bottukulam) where St Thomas landed at Palayoor. * Thaliyakulam -The pond where St Thomas baptized the local people. * The replica of Chinna Malai (of Mylapore – Madras) where St Thomas attained martyrdom in 72 AD. * The historical remnants of old Aryan Temple. * Historical Museum. *Ancient Lanterns around the church


References


External links

{{commons category
Indian christianity

Syro Malabar website


Cities and towns in Thrissur district