An Old Video of Kothamangalam Pally Perunnal

 

High Court sharply criticizes Govt over Kothamangalam church dispute

The High Court of Kerala has sharply criticized the state government in connection with the Kothamangalam Marthoman church dispute.

While considering the contempt of court petition filed by the Orthodox Church, the court said that the government is taking a biased stand and that is not right.

 Meanwhile, the government of Kerala argued that the currently available police force is insufficient to take over the Marthoman church and hand it over as they are busy with Sabarimala pilgrimage season and election duties.

 The Kerala government asked for more time to implement the court verdict. But the Kerala High Court said that this was already delayed in the name of COVID outbreak and if the implementation of the court verdict is further delayed, central forces will be called.

 The additional solicitor general has been instructed to appear before the High court on Tuesday to make the government's stand clear. The court will consider the case again on Tuesday.

 Earlier, the High Court division bench had rejected the appeal filed by the Kerala state government against taking over Kothamangalam Cheriyapally and handing it over to Orthodox Church. The High court of Kerala had also made it clear that it was the state government's responsibility to implement the verdict.

Kothamangalam Church Case: Division Bench Dismisses State Government's Plea

The Bench of the High Court dismissed an appeal by the state government against the acquisition of the Kochi-Kothamangalam church and handing it over to the Orthodox Church.  The High Court said that it is the responsibility of the state government to enforce the court order.  The court asked the district administration to take steps to hand over the mosque to the Orthodox church.


Courts have the power to dictate how a court order should be executed.  The Kothamangalam Church should be governed by the 1934 constitution.  The court also rejected the High Court's decision to acquire the mosque, contrary to the Supreme Court ruling.


The government's stand against the implementation of the court verdict has hit the court today. It is the responsibility of the state governments to enforce the court verdict.  There is no justification for the argument that the verdict cannot be enforced because people are protesting.


The court said that the government's argument that the court had no jurisdiction to decide how the verdict should be executed had no merit. The court held that the Jacobite Church's claim that the Orthodox Vicar was ineligible for administration was not valid.

Collector to take over Kothamangalam Church as per the direction by High Court

The High Court has ordered the acquisition of the Kothamangalam Cheri Palli District Collector and hand over it to the Orthodox community. Vicar of the church, Fr. The order of Justice PB Suresh Kumar was filed by Thomas Paul Ramban. This chapter states that the armed police can be deployed to disperse the crowd. The Collector shall take control of the church and property at the appropriate time, after excluding those who have been inside the church. When the Orthodox community is convinced that the Vicar is in a position to practice the ritual, the church must be handed over to them. If any of the parishioners dies, the vicar does not interrupt the funeral service. The High Court has directed the district collector to take necessary steps to evacuate the Jacobite believers and to expedite the process.

If there is a law and order situation in the country, the police should arrest those responsible. The court also directed that sufficient police be deployed to ensure a peaceful atmosphere in the church and in the vicinity and to allow the vicar to conduct religious rituals peacefully. Manolin Kunchachan argues that Thomas Paul Ramban is not qualified to remain a priest but the high court has not made any statement regarding the same.

In 2018, Ramban Muvattupuzha Munsif had approached the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the apex court's verdict. Eight members of the Jacobite group and five priests were ordered to refrain from entering the Church. The Munsif court issued an interim injunction restraining the Jacobite sect. In a special application filed by the Orthodox Division, the police were also instructed to protect. The High Court rejected the plea of ​​the Jacobite tribes. When he went to the Church, Ramban approached the High Court stating that the police did not provide adequate protection. Police argued that if the verdict was executed, tear gas would be used in the sanctuary of the church and could lead to firing. The court said these arguments cannot be accepted. It was then that the petition was filed.

The Beautiful Architecture of Kothamangalam Cheriyapally

I haven't visited Kothamangalam Marthoman Church or Kothamangalam Cheriyapally quite often, but recently I got an opportunity to visit this historic church in the heart of Kothamangalam town. It was during my way back from Adimali, that we decided to pay our offerings at Kothamangalam Marthoman Church. It was  really a great spiritual experience and it has prompted me to think of visiting this Church again and again.

One of the main feature that attracted me was the amazng architecture and beauty of Kothamangalam Cheriyapally. The architecture is purely based on the ancient model of Churches that once prevailed in Kerala. The atmosphere inside the Church was also terrific as people were indulged in prayers and offering which made a sense of great spirituality and belief of the people.

The tomb of St. Yeldo Mar Baselios Bava is situated inside the "Madbaha" of the Church and this is one of the major reason why this Church has drawn huge popularity among the believers. I noticed that majority of the people inside the Church have come from far away places and this is a clear evidence of their strong belief in the intercession of St. Yeldo Mar Baselios.

Hope that the Church would provide a more spiritual experience during its annual feast and I have heard that people from distant place walk by foot to Kothamangalam Marthoman Cheriyapally to visit the tomb of St.Yeldo Mar Baselios. Here are some pictures of Kothamangala Cheriyapally I have captured from my mobile cam during my recent visit to this Church.

Kothamangalam Cheriyapally Church Petition by Orthodox Church Rejected

A petition filed by the Malankara Orthodox Church as an Execution Petition with respect to the Kothamangalam Cheriapally was dismissed by the Single Judge of Kerala High Court yesterday. The Contention raised by the Orhtodox Church was that the Supreme Court of India confirmed the Judgement and Decree of the Division Bench of Kerala High Court dated f 1.6.1990 which decreed the suit, O S No 1 of 1979 against the Kothamangalam Cheriapally.

Accordingly, it was also prayed that the decree of the Division Bench of High Court Of Kerala dated 1.6.1990 should be executed by attaching the properties of the committee members and trustees of the Parish and also by putting them in jail. The case had several rounds and the earliest order was by Justice V.Ramakumar holding that the decree of the Division Bench has merged into the decree of the Supreme Court of India

In the final order released yesterday, Justice Bhavadasan has Categorically held that the decree of the Division Bench of Kerala High Court does not exist anymore because
it has merged into the decree of the Supreme Court of India. As such, the petition to execute the decree of the Division Bench is not maintainable and accordingly, the execution petition by the Malankara Orthodox Church has been dismissed.

Kothamangalam Marthoman Cheriyapalli Festival Flag Hoisted

The famous Kothamangalam Marthoman CheriyaPalli Festival (Perunnal) for the year 2011 was inaugurated by the flag hosting ceremony yesterday. The Cheriyapally  festival is conducted on 2nd and 3rd of October every year. . The Kothamangalam Cheriyapally festival (Kanni 20 Perunnal) is remembrance of the instance of guiding Saint Yeldho Mor Baselios Bava to this church by a Nair Youth. The successors of that Nair Youth still has the privilege to hold the traditional lamp of the church and lead the 'Rassa' ( procession) to the church on on the eve of the festival.

Yeldho Mor Baselios was born in Mosul, Iraq and was a  Maphryano (Catholicos). In 1685 Malankara Church was facing some difficulties and Yeldho Mor Baselios was requested to come over to Kerala. At the age of 92 he started his journey and after facing many hurdles he reached Kothamangalam along with his brother Jemma, Mar Evanios Episcopa and two monks (Rambans) Yovey and Mathai. Soon after reaching Kothamangalam Cheriyapally, he started showing signs of bad health and within few days he had his last breath and was buried at Kothamangalam Marthoman Church.

In 1947 Catholicate of the East and Malankara Metropolitan Baselios Geevarghese II declared Yeldho Mor Baselios as a Saint. The festival is attended by a lot of devotees from across various churches of Malankara.