Tamil Christian Couples in Temple Town

Everyday life, rare rituals and unusual scenes as they occur in the second decade of the 21st century form part of this project. It covers the modern Tiruvannamalai town and its medieval temples remarkable for their architecture, native religions like Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism as well as modern religions like Islam and Christianity that have become part of the landscape over several centuries, the local people and their culture on the margins and how they fare today. As part of this project, young Indian photographer Leo James has photographed the first, second, and third generation “Tamil Christian couples” living in Tiruvannamalai.

It is said that Thomas the Apostle, came to present day Kerala in 52 CE and travelled to present day Tamil Nadu and died in Mylapore in modern Chennai. Even though there is no historical evidence concurring with this claim, the ancient Christians of India go with the narrative and attest that it was Thomas the Apostle who spread the word among the ancient Jews in India, which led to their conversion to Christianity. It was a period when maritime trade was at its peak – the Romans had discovered the direct route to Tamilakam from Egypt, taking advantage of the monsoon wind - a knowledge that was long known to Indian and Arab sailors.

During the medieval period, the Syrian Christian community was further strengthened by the arrival of the Persian Christians and granting of special rights and privileges to them by the local rulers. Mentions about these ancient settlers and traders have also been found in Sangam literature. Starting around the 16th century, there were a large number of Portuguese, Dutch, British, Danish and Italian Christians who started trade expeditions to this part of India and established their trading companies. These traders also were also engaged in peaceful as well as forceful dialogues with the locals on matters pertaining to religion and philosophy.

The first Danish expedition set sail in the year 1618 CE, and after they failed to arrive at an agreement in Ceylon, their Trade Director Robert Crappe set sail on a scouting freighter - exploring possibilities in Tamilakam. It was a time when the mighty trinity of the Ceras, Cholas, and Pandyas had lost their political power and the decentralized local chieftains/Nayaks were controlling the land. The sailors encountered the Portuguese vessels off the Karaikkal coast and were sunk, with most of the crew killed, or taken prisoner.

The Tranquebar Mission was established by Ziegenbalg in 1706. In 1715, he translated the Bible into Tamil and helped setup India's first printing press at Tranquebar (Tharangambadi), with Tamil being the first Indian language to be printed. Ziegenbalg advocated for women's education and abolition of the caste system, and gained the respect of the local people. He established the very first school for girls in Indian subcontinent at Tranquebar in 1707.  In 1919, the Tamil congregation of different German, Danish and Swedish Lutheran missions joined together to form the Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church (TELC).

While most of the Christians in Kerala were wealthy merchants, in many other parts of South India it was the downtrodden and oppressed who were largely attracted to this foreign philosophy. The modern Christian settlers were hell bent to consolidate and increase their numbers, as a means to expand their trade and exercise power over the locals. They slowly and steadily embarked on the mission of converting the masses; picked fights with the local rulers who were not following their theology and worked towards influencing the native traditions.

This step towards progress also had another major impact on the local context – the natives lost their indigenous expressions and original traditions that were an integral part of their life and lifestyle. This was indeed the beginning of a homogenization process. The vast majority of the people who were converted were the coastal inhabitants. However, a large majority of the locals, who were already exposed to many other philosophies, saw similarity in Christianity as well, especially the virgin mother cult practice. They opted for the embrace-yet-resist response which is the reason for the low percentage of Christian population in India.

The couples intimately hold their partner or stand close together, look straight into the camera and smile. A majority of them are from a generation that has not seen today’s upscale photo-shoots. A few are comfortably at ease, while a few others are visibly tensed. The Annamalai hill, the sacred landmark of Tiruvannamalai is present, at times distinct, and at other times, in the far background, exemplifying their connection to this ancient land. However, prominent Christian symbols that make them stand apart are not visible in these photographs.

Subtly, yet strongly Leo’s camera has dwelt on the different strata that make up the South Indian society. These photographs have captured a slice of an ancient town’s developmental history. With globalization and the resultant homogenization affecting and permanently altering every aspect of contemporary life, public photo archives of this kind that preserves the paradigm shift moments are the need of the hour.