Thachil Mar Matthoo Tharakan (1741–1814) was a

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), ...

merchant, social leader and minister who played a key role in

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 ...

, especially in its

Travancore The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...

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 ...

regions, in

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 ...

towards the latter part of the 18th century and early 19th century. He relentlessly worked to bring about a reunification in his community which was divided into Catholic ('' Pazhayakūr'') and Jacobite (''Puthenkūr'') after the

Coonan Cross Oath The Coonan Cross Oath ( mal, കൂനൻ കുരിശ് സത്യം, Kūnan Kuriśŭ Satiaṁ), also known as the Great Oath of Bent Cross, the Leaning Cross Oath or the Oath of the Slanting Cross, taken on 3 January 1653 in Mattanch ...

of 1653. He organized his community against the colonialist attempts of

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

and played a prominent role in the assembly of Catholic Saint Thomas Christians at Angamāly that paved the way for the establishment of independent Syro-Malabar hierarchy.

Trader and exporter

Matthoo belonged to

Alangad Alangad is a village located in Paravur Taluk of Ernakulam District in the Indian state of Kerala. It lies almost in the middle of North Paravur and Aluva. The Kochi city is 15 km away from Alangad. Etymology The name Alangad has been der ...

, near North Kuthiathode, in the present

Paravur Taluk Paravur Taluk, {{IPA-ml, pɐrɐʋuːr, IPA, is a taluk of Ernakulam District in the States and territories of India, Indian State of Kerala. North Paravur is the capital of the taluk. Paravur Taluk lies in the north western part of Ernakulam d ...

Ernakulam Ernakulam () is the Central Business District of the city of Kochi in Kerala, India and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Many major establishments, including the Kerala High Court, the office of the Kochi Municipal Corporation a ...

District. He was born into a prosperous

Syro-Malabar 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 ...

Christian family in 1741 as the son of Thachil Thariath and Ukken Itti Anna. He did business successfully, with the help of his father's friends, Ranga Shenoy and Narayana Shenoy, prospered, and the friends that he made during that period later took him to great heights. His powerful friends included Captain

Eustachius De Lannoy Eustachius Benedictus de Lannoy (also sometimes called 'Captain De Lannoy') (30 December 1715 – 1 June 1777, Udayagiri Fort) was a skilled military strategist and commander of the Travancore Army, under Maharaja Marthanda Varma. De Lannoy ...

, the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

commander who became head of the Travancore Army and Raja Kesava Das. Through such friends, he got introduced to the Kings of

and

.It was on 943 M.E. that Mathoo Tharakan began his royal service. Matthoo Tharakan thus became a leading trader and influential Christian leader, from among the Indian

Syriac Christians Syriac Christianity ( syr, ܡܫܝܚܝܘܬܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܬܐ / ''Mšiḥoyuṯo Suryoyto'' or ''Mšiḥāyūṯā Suryāytā'') is a distinctive branch of Eastern Christianity, whose formative theological writings and traditional liturgies are expr ...

of Kerala. He awarded a 'Thankakompan' that earned the king's appreciation and the king then awarded him the title' Mathoo Tharakan Muthalali Avarkal' . The title ''Tharakan'' was granted by the King

Dharma Raja of Travancore Dharma Raja Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma ( ml, ധർമ്മരാജാ കാർത്തിക തിരുനാൾ രാമവർമ്മ, 1724–17 February 1798) was the Maharajah of Travancore from 1758 until his death in 1798. He s ...

to indicate 'a noble trader'. Matthoo Tharakan was a merchant of timber, spices, salt, and tobacco, and was reportedly the first timber exporter from Southern India.

Minister of Travancore

Matthoo Tharakan was Commerce Minister to Maharaja

Balarama Varma Avittom Thirunal Bala Rama Varma (c. 17827 November 1810) was a ruler of the Indian princely state of Travancore from 1798 to 1810, succeeding his uncle Maharajah Dharma Raja on 12February 1798. His reign was a time of disturbances and intern ...

. His best years were during the reign of

Dharma Raja Dharma Raja Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma ( ml, ധർമ്മരാജാ കാർത്തിക തിരുനാൾ രാമവർമ്മ, 1724–17 February 1798) was the Maharajah of Travancore from 1758 until his death in 1798. He s ...

. He loaned a large sum of money to the Kingdom to help fight its wars against

Tipu Sultan Tipu Sultan (born Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu, 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799), also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery.Dalrymple, p. 243 He int ...

. However, during the following period of

Jayanthan Sankaran Nampoothiri Odiery Jayanthan Sankaran Nampoothiri was an 18th-century Dalawa of the Travancore, a former Indian kingdom. Background Jayanthan Nampoothiri was a migrant from Zamorin kingdom who settled in Travancore during Tipu Sultan's invasion. Having the ...

's Dewanship, there was an uprising and revolt engineered by

Velu Thampi Velayudhan Chempakaraman Thampi of Thalakulam (1765–1809) was the Dalawa or Prime Minister of the Indian kingdom of Travancore between 1802 and 1809 during the reign of Bala Rama Varma Kulasekhara Perumal. He is best known for being one ...

. This led to Velu Thampi becoming the Dalawa (Prime Minister) in 1801. Velu Thampi persecuted Mathu Tharakan (his ear was cut and later he was imprisoned). He ordered confiscation of Matthoo Tharakan's landholdings and assets alleging that he had to pay huge revenue arrears to the Government of Travancore. This order was later cancelled by the British Resident Macaulay. Velu Thampi's subsequent revolt against the British (without the sanction of the Maharaja) led to his suicide in 1809 in Mannadi Temple, Adoor.

repented the indiscriminate actions of Velu Thampi and symbolically gave Tharakan a golden ear.

Social and religious leader

Thachil Matthoo Tharakan made attempts at reunion of the Christian communities separated by the

. But his efforts were apparently thwarted by the Portuguese. His efforts had the support of

Mar Joseph Kariattil Kariattil Mar Iousep, alternatively written as Mar Joseph Kariattil, (5 May 1742 – 10 September 1786) was the first native Indian to be appointed as Metropolitan of Kodungalloor (Cranganore) for Syrian Catholics in the territory now compris ...

of the Indian Syriac-Rite Catholics, and of

Mar Dionysius I Mar Dionysius I (Mar Thoma VI) (died 8 April 1808), was the 6th Metropolitan of the Malankara Syrian Church from 1765 until his death. A member of the Pakalomattom family (Thazhmon, Ayroor) he appealed to outside authorities to assert his positi ...

of the Indian Syriac-Rite Orthodox faction, known as the Jacobites. But Bishop Kariattil's death in Goa and Rome's silence, ultimately led to the Indian Jacobites remaining separate and the Indian

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 ...

accepting the jurisdiction of the Latin Bishops in India. He was actively involved in organising the historic journey of

and

Paremmakkal Thoma Kathanar Paremmakkal Thoma Kathanar (1736–1799) is the author of ''Varthamanappusthakam'' (1790), the first ever travelogue in an Indian language. Also known as ''Roma Yatraa Varthamanapusthakam'', it postulates that the foundation of Indian nationalis ...

to Rome in 1782 for representing before the Pope the grievances of the Syriac Catholics. Tharakan was instrumental in organising an assembly of the Catholic Saint Thomas Christians (''Pazhayakūttukār'') in Angamāly Saint George's Great Church, that enacted the ''Angamāly Padiyōla'' on 1 February 1787. This assembly protested against the colonial subjugation of the native Christians and strongly urged for the consecration of native bishop among them.

Trader and exporter

Minister of Travancore

Social and religious leader

References

Sources

Further reading