Roman Empire 16th century: People and church at Atchuvelli, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

ROMAN EMPIRE IN SRI LANKARoman Church at Achuvelli, Jaffna By Agnes Thambynayagam (St. Antony’s College,Oxford 2003)

Pic 2: Atchuvelli Roman Christian Church – 2011 Pic 3) Cross & Anchor – side wingPhotos: Agnes Thambynayagam collection

The Portuguese, the Dutch, the British and other Europeans colonized Asian countries in the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The people who lived in the Island of Sri Lanka prior to the sixteenth century were gentiles.The gentiles were explorers, from Castile, Genoa, Venice, Florence, Sicily and other Mediterranean surrounding countries, who traveled through Red Sea and established kingdoms in Asia.

The gentiles who settled in Asia prior to thesixteenth century had modified the Christian practice. The modified old Christian practicecame to be referred to as Pagan practice after Portuguese began their settlements in Asia. Rome expanded its empire to Asia when Portuguese began their settlement in the sixteenth century. The Portuguese initially settled along the coastal areas as fishermen and divers for pearl fishery. They married into the gentiles and their children grew up practicing Pagan worship. The children and descendants of the early Portuguese settlers were referred to as Bramanes or Brahmans meaning white people. After the Portuguese conquered the kingdoms, they moved into the inner lands where the ruling class Portugueseestablished villages with cultivation and

industries. The white rulers, known in Tamilas ‘Vellalar’, were permitted to bring their spouses and workers from Portugal to the new colonies.

Rome sent missionaries to all Portuguese colonies to establish Roman Christian religion. Franciscans were the first to arrive in Sri Lanka to take care of the soldiers. The Jesuits and other missionaries joined the colonies by mid sixteenth century.By 1658, when the Dutch took over Mannar and Jaffna, the Roman Empire had established 159 villages with churches and schools in Northern Sri Lanka.

The Dutch reformed minister Rev PhilipBaldaeus who took over the Roman ChristianChurches in Jaffnapatnam in 1658 andconverted them into Dutch Reformed ChristianChurches wrote about the Achuvelli Church(1672, p801-2):

“The Church Achiavelli lies about two hours [walk] from Telipole, it is a large and lofty structure built of stone, capable of containing 2000 persons. It was not finished till in our time. The village lies extremely pleasant among the woods stor’d with vast quantities of Turtle Doves, which cue at certain hours three times a day, and serve

the inhabitants instead of a clock, to know the time of the day. They have also plenty ofHares, Stags and Wild-Boars, but are also annoyed by the Serpants.

As divers old Brahmans live in this place,so were the inhabitants not so forward in embracing the Christian Religion; the ancientBrahman, named Philipo, does not want the knowledge of the Fundamentals of our Religion, but is more inclined to the Historical, than the Doctrinal part. Among others there lived here certain Brahman, a Learned Person, with whom I used to have frequent conversation while I lived at Achiavelli ; he was baptized at last in the 46th Year of his Age, and afterwards write the History of the Life and Passion of our Saviour, in a lofty Poetical Stile, in the Latin Malabar, call’d Hanscreet [San Scrit], which is quite different from the common Malabar [Tamil] Characters. The school here has about 4 or 500 boys, and the Church 7, 8 or 900 Auditors”

Baldaeus also writes about Bramanes and the Vellalar of Jaffnapatnam (1672, p 812):

“In Ceylon are divers Clans or Families, as well as on the Coast of Coromandel [Chola Nadu]. The Generation of the Bellales [Vellalar] is the chiefs here since

Christianity has been introduced,138 the Brahmans139challenging first rank among the Pagans.”

“The Bellales [Vellalar] make likewise butter, but not after the same manner as we do in Holland. They take a kind of a mill made like a star at the bottom, this they roll between both hands (as we do with our chocolate) till the butter comes. Some of ourDutch women [in Jaffna] make also good cheese,but it is not regarded among the inhabitants [the Vellalar]; but butter is in great esteemamong them as well as among the Moors, nay the family of Commety use butter like drink. Milk turned to curds (called by them Tayr) isalso in great request with them and used likea cooling medicine in fevers, and small-pox, which are frequent in here.”

The Church and the school built by the Portuguese at Achuvelli became a Dutch reformed Christian Church and school in 1658.The property was taken over by the British inthe nineteenth century. The old Roman church and the school remained a Christian Church and College in the nineteenth century. In thetwentieth century, a large school called Atchuvelli Maha Vidyalayam was built in the old Roman Church property to educate all

children. The Portuguese educated only the boys of the Vellalar families. The Dutch continued the same practice but allowed some Vellalar girls to attend classes. The Roman Christians of Achuvelli built a new Roman Christian Church in 1830. They renovated and expanded the Church in the twenty first century after the end of civil war in 2009.

I did research at Oxford University from 2003-2007. My book,“The Gentiles, A History of Sri Lanka, 1498-1833” was published in 2009. My findings indicate that the Roman Empire expanded to Asia between 1502 and 1658. The Empire collapsed when the Dutch took over the Portuguese colonies and abolished Roman Christian Religion. It is possible the Rome’s Imperial Port would have been built in the 15th or early 16th century.

I currently live in 57 Inverrary Lane, Sugar Land, Texas 77479, USAMy email address: [email protected]