Pagasalai

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Brief History

The Catholics belonging to the Parish of St Andrew’s Church, Kurumbagaram are mainly Pagasalai Sozhia Vellalars who migrated from Pagasalai during the period 1750 to 1800.

Pagasalai is a village in Naneelam Taluk. This small village is 6 Miles North of Poothottham Railway Station. Pagasalai is surrounded by six smaller villages named:

Sembiam, Saeruvakkam, Saerukudy, Anniyur, Vayalur, and Veelakkum.

The inhabitants in these villages were known as “Ail-lur Vellalars”. They were a conservative community and had very little contact or relationship with the outsiders.

In the year 1750, two brothers Arumugatha Pillai and Shanmugatha Pillai, and their brother in law Thandavaraya Pillai were residing in Pagasalai village. One daughter of Arumugatha Pillai was mentally afflicted and very ill (a disease we now term, perhaps, as Schizophrenia). They tried all methods of treatment prevalent in those days but cure eluded them. The daughter’s condition worsened and she became aggressive and unmanageable creating a great commotion in the village. It is at this time a devout poor woman proceeding to Velankani (Our Lady) on pilgrimage stopped by at the house of Arumugatha Pillai and enquired what this commotion was all about. The mother of the sick girl explained about her daughter’s condition and their fruitless efforts to cure her. The devout lady assured that her daughter will be cured of the disease by the power of Our Lady of Velankani and went on to explain about Christianity.

The mother was so overwhelmed by the faith and devotion of the old lady, that she was fully convinced of her daughter’s recovery. The old lady took her Rosary and placed it on the neck of the sick girl. The girl became silent. Before departure the old lady sought an assurance that in case the girl fully recovers then all the three families should convert to Christianity. The mother discussed with all the members of the three families and assured her that they would convert to Christianity if the sick girl fully recovered.

The old lady proceeded to Velankani and prayed for the cure of Arumugatha’s sick daughter. On her journey back after attending the Velankani festival she returned to Pagasalai village to enquire about the sick girl. The old lady was overjoyed to learn that her prayers were answered and the sick girl was fully cured of her disease, which had taunted them for four to five years. Thereafter the three families learned all about Christianity and were taught all the prayers from the Catholic Church nearest to their village. Later on all the three family members were baptized. They continued to remain in the village and maintained harmonious relationship with all their relatives.

This did not continue for long because the Hindu relatives refused to marry members of their Christian brethren. This was a big blow to the three Christian families. The three families then decided to move to the French colony of Karaikal and settle down in Kurumbagaram around the year 1755. In the ensuing years from 1755 to 1853 the families spread to Nedungadu, Narikurumbai, Mathalangudi, Kottapakkam, Annavasal, Ponpeti, Tirvenkatapuram, Kasakudi, Uchimedu, and Subarayapuram.

The Sozhia Vellalars were mainly farmers who thrived by their hard work in farming and were called Mirasdhars (a title given to the rich farmers). In the intervening period between 1755 and 1854, we have families of Appu Pillai (his son College Muthusamy Pillai), Thambusamy Pillai, Tasil Arokiam Pillai, Mayavuram Ponnusamy Pillai, Thandavarava Pillai (his sons Laksmana Pillai and Kishna Pillai), Tasil Arulandandam Pillai, Gnanaya Pillai, Maria Pillai, Paramandam Pillai, Sinnu Pillai, Deivasagayam Pillai, and Sinnasamy Pillai.

In the year 1854 approval for a Church to be built in Kurumbagaram was accorded by the Bishop due to the efforts of Thangaichiammal (daughter of College Muthusamy Pillai). St Andrew’s Church started in a temporary building till the permanent structure was completed in 1869. The church offered a rallying point for consolidation of the Pagasalai Sozhia Vellalar Community in the region. In the subsequent years from 1855 to 1954 we have families of Jayaraya Pillai, Pushpanathan Pillai, D Arulanandam Pillai, Dr Ponnusamy Pillai, Aroikanathan Pillai, Amirthanathan Pillai, Abseiganathan Pillai, Susainathan Pillai, Rajanandam Pillai, Dorairaj Pillai, Jegaraj Pillai and many others as charted in the family tree.

On 15 Aug 1947 India became Independent and the British who ruled for over two centuries lost the glory of ruling the biggest colony. The Post Independent era saw a lot of development in Tamilnadu. Pondicherry comprising of Karaikal and Mahe continued to be under the French rule till 1954. Pondicherry came under the Central rule and was declared a Union Territory in 1954 once the French decided to leave.

The land reforms bill was enacted in 1960 and subsequently the absentee landlords or Mirasdhars lost to the Lessees who actually tilled the land on behalf of the Mirasdhar. Only 15 standard acres of farmland was permissible to be owned by each of the Mirasdhars and the rest were taken over by Government and reallocated to the landless. This caused a lot of anguish to the traditional farmers, as it was not economically viable to cultivate small tracts of land based on the prevailing two-crop system. The crops are totally dependent on the monsoon rains as there is no other source of sustained water supply. Another problem was fragmentation and sub-division of land to the legal heirs. To cite an example Tasil Arulandandam Pillai owned 24 Vellis (160 acres) of land for cultivation in 1814, which was bought for Rs 800 (Present value of a Velli Rs 3 lakh Rupees). This vast land tract has been unceremoniously sub-divided several times over in the last 150 years into fragments, so much so, each of the present day legal heirs do not own more than one Velli in any one given place. The lands continue to be tilled by the Lessee. The income from these lands is very meagre and unsustainable.

In frustration the new generation of Pagasalai Sozhia Vallalars (Post Independent era) have sold the farmlands and sought jobs in the Government Organizations, Industries, Schools and Colleges, or migrated abroad, with the sole aim of improving their career prospects and economic status. We have a number of them settled in Burma, Malaysia, Singapore, Saigon, Indo- China, France and its Territories. Many families of the community have chosen to settle in Karaikal, Pondicherry, Chennai, Trichy, Coimbatore and Hyderabad for better education facilities and job opportunities.

Parish Priests of St Andrews church Kurumbagaram from 1854 till date:

1. Rev Fr Bally 1860-1862

2. Rev Fr Valat 1862-1877

3. Rev Fr Bottero 1877-1879

4. Rev Fr Maisdon 1880-1881

5. Rev Fr A Pecheur 1881-1885

6. Rev Fr Pouzol 1886-1887

7. Rev Fr A Thomas 1887-1895

8. Rev Fr M Delestre 1896-1897

9. Rev Fr Gentihome 1897-1900

10. Rev Fr Poul 1900-1906

11. Rev Fr Marie Adaikalam 1906-1909

12. Rev Fr Regis 1910-1924

13. Rev Fr Noel 1924-1925

14. Rev Fr L Pungier 1925-1930

15. Rev Fr M Dominic 1931-1953

16. Rev Fr R Susainather 1954-1956

17. Rev Fr Auffret 1956-1968

18. Rev Fr PM Kuriakose 1968-1976

19. Rev Fr Vanchipura 1976-1979

20. Rev Fr J Dussaigne 1979-1984

21. Rev Fr K Augustine 1984-1985

22. Rev Fr Irudayam 1985 (Sep to Dec)

23. Rev Fr Christopher (in charge)

24. Rev Fr Anthony Roche 1986 (Feb-Jun)

25. Rev Fr A Peter 1986-1987

26. Rev Fr A Raja SJ (Assistant)

27. Rev Fr AS Irudayanathan 1987-1989

28. Rev Fr A Rayappan 1989-1990

29. Rev Fr C Susaikannou 1990-1996

30. Rev Fr Alphonse Sandanam 1996-2003

31. Rev Fr Berchmans Peter 2003-2009

Note: No Parish Priest was appointed for the period 1854 to 1860. Construction of church commenced on 30 Nov 1854, our Patron St Andrew.

Rev Fr PS Maria Joseph, son of P Sanjivaraya Pillai is buried in the church cemetery.