The Maramon Convention, is the largest Christian convention in Asia, held at Maramon, Kozhencherry, Pathanamthitta, Kerala, India annually in February on the vast sand-bed of the Pampa River next to the Kozhencherry Bridge. It is organised by Mar Thoma Evangelistic Association, the missionary wing of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church.
The origin and growth of this annual get-together for one week at a stretch can be traced to the great revival movement which gathered momentum during the reformation period in the Syrian Churches of Kerala under the pioneering leadership of Abraham Malpan in the latter part of the 19th century. This brought about the transformation in resurgence of the ancient apostolic Churches in Kerala founded by St. Thomas the Apostle approximately in AD 52.
Cultural identity of Saint Thomas Christians
Saint Thomas in the Syriac-speaking culture of upper Mesopotamia and Syria the apostle was called Judas Thomas. Thomas (Tau'ma) means twin in Syriac.Maelle Doliveux, "Newsweek", January 2015. Page 6-41.
Jawaharlal Nehru in his Glimpses of World History, 1934 wrote about Christianity in India:
"You may be surprised to learn that Christianity came to India long before it went to England or Western Europe, and when even in Rome it was a despised and proscribed sect. Within 100 years or so of the death of Jesus, Christian Missionaries came to South India by sea. They were received courteously and permitted to preach their new faith. They converted a large number of people, and their descendants have lived there, with varying fortune, to this day. Most of them belong to old Christian sects which have ceased to exist in Europe".
St. Ephraem, a Christian deacon and scholar, in AD 363 composed a poem that honors St. Thomas in that era's understanding:
"Blessed art thou, like a solar ray, India’s darkness doth dispel. Thou the great lamp, one among the Twelve, with oil from the cross replenished India’s night flooded with light. Oh Blessed Apostle, valiant Mar Thoma whom violent threats did not affright, Blessed apostle be thou praised, whom the Great King has sent that India to his one begotten thou shouldest espouse."
An ancient Indian non-Christian work Nagargarandhavaryola mentions St. Thomas:
In AD 52 "the foreigner Thomas Sanyasi came to our village, preached there causing pollution. We therefore came away from that village."
Mar Thoma Evangelistic Association
By 1877, there were two factions in the Malankara church, known as Bishop faction (Methran Kakshi) and Patriarch faction (Bava Kakshi). By a court verdict on 12 July 1889, Bishop faction lost all the properties. In this turbulent period, on 5 September 1888, 12 members of the Bishop faction formed a missionary group called "Mar Thoma Evangelistic Association".Rev.George Alexander (Ed). "Maramon Convention Sathapdhi Valum-'95." Page 166.Mar Thoma Sabha Directory. (1999). Page 149. These 12 members are considered the founding fathers of the Maramon convention. The names of these 12 members are:-
Kottarathil Thomas Kasseessa, Chengannur Edavamvelil Mathai, Eraviperoor. Kottooreth Yohannan, Chengannur Chempakasseril Kadavil Abraham, Kallissery Chakkalayil Cherian Upadesi, Puthencavu Chempakasseril Kadavil Mathuchen, Kallissery Azhakinal Thommi, Kallooppara Nathaniel Upadesi, Chengannur Kurichiath (Vattadiyil) Ittiyavara, Niranam Arangat Philipose, Maramon Ottaplammoottil Kunju Mathew, Kallissery Kochumannil Skariah, Edayaranmula
They met at the Kadavil Malika belonging to Chempakasseril Kadavil Abraham and Chempakasseril Kadavil Mathuchen (1860 - 1897). This house at Kallissery near Chengannur was built by their grandfather Unnittan Kathanar (1767 - 1852) and his son Abraham Kathanar (1822 - 1884) also known as Kadavil Achen, in the early 19th century. (The Kadavil Malika was reclaimed by the Malankara Marthoma Syrian Church church and renovated on 10 September 2005.)
Beginning
By 1894, a number of small supportive prayer group communions emerged and this paved a way for revival. They had regular meetings in various parishes. Because the number of people attending these meetings was growing; the need was addressed by deciding to have a meeting of these groups in a wider level at a central accessible place. This was a venue for dimensional spiritual edification that is applicable, biblically sound, ideal and value based for striving with the realities of the world and never a place for signs, wonders and miracles. During the 19th century, people began to occupy hilly places which resulted in felling of forests in and around the catchment area of Pampa river and started intensive cultivation of annual crops like tapioca, yams ... etc. This unplanned encroachment resulted in large scale soil erosion. Deep river with mud was filled with white sand, which turned to be congenial place to assemble for a gathering of masses. No need for any seating arrangement as people can sit on the neat white sand bed under roofs made by knitted coconut leaves. The duty of organising this meeting was given to the Mar Thoma Evangelistic Association and the first convention was held in 1895 at Maramon. Today the changing habitat and lesser focus on agriculture with rise of rubber plantation, the surfaced roads minimised soil erosion and a large scale sand mining for construction activities decreased the size of the sand bed to a great extent.
By 1900 reformers adopted the name Malankara Marthoma Suriyani Sabha also known as the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church to encase its ancient lineage.
Pictures
This view of the 2008 convention is from Kozhencherry side. The Kozhencherry bridge is on the right. There are usually no empty spaces inside the Panthal (tent) so people stand outside and group around the shade to listen to the songs and messages.
This view of the 2009 convention is from Maramon side. The Kozhencherry bridge is on the left.
The first convention The first convention was held for 10 days from 8 to 17 March 1895. The venue was the vast sand-bed of the Pampa River next to the Maramon church. The parishes in and around Maramon – Kozhencherry helped in making a very large panthal (tent) to accommodate about 10,000 people. The main speakers were David and Wordsworth. On an average 10,000 to 15,000 people attended these meetings. On the last day almost 25,000 attended. There were no proper roads during those days. So nearby houses accommodated the people from far away places. Some of them came in boats and used them as their shelter.
The convention at present Maramon Convention is held for eight days during the first week of the Great Lent that usually falls in February. The tent has a seating capacity in excess of 160,000 people. They are seated on the dry sand bed. Old and weak are given sponsored-paid chairs to sit on. There is also a smaller tent erected next to the larger one for people with infants and with children below 5. All around the temporary tent there are prayer and rest sheds and other tents for various purposes related to the Church. Stalls for the sale of religious literature and other items, church mission advertisement and funding offices and restaurants are allowed to operate in the vicinity of the tent under the control of the Church authorities.
Programme
The Maramon Convention is pre-eminently an assembly of Christians who once a year come here for listening to the Word of God as read and expounded by Christian leaders from all over India as well as abroad. Introduction and promotion of Church activities and Preaching occupy the major part of the convention programme. In the morning there will be separate Bible study classes for Men, women, youth and children conducted by specially invited leaders. The mornings and afternoons are public meetings and in the evening, meetings are for men only. Four of the afternoon public meetings are for 'Facing the challenges of Social evils as Christians'. The choir leads the singing and the introduction of voguish songs and the whole gathering joins in singing. A hymn book with 101 hymns including 16 new ones are printed every year for the convention use. Everyday half an hour is spent for intercessory prayer.Mathew 6:5 Also there are family gatherings, youth meetings and special gatherings after the afternoon session.
Leaders In addition to the Metropolitan and Episcopas of the church, distinguished world-renowned speakers addressed this convention. The Revd Thomas Walker, England (1900–1912), Sadhu Sunder Singh, Punjab (1918), Dr. G. Sherwood Eddy (1919), Dr. E. Stanley Jones, USA (1920–1968), Dr. Toyohiko Kagawa, Japan (1938), John R. Mott, Nobel Peace Prize winner (1946) and President of World Alliance of YMCAs, Dr. Bob Pierce, founder and president of World Vision (1964 & 66), Astronaut Colonel James Irwin, who spent a few hours on the moon (1985), Dr. John Haggai, founder president of Haggai Institute (1973), Bishop Donald Jacobs, Mennonite church (1974), the Most Revd Dr. Robert Runcie, Archbishop of Canterbury (1986), the Most Revd Dr. George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury (1995), Mrs. Ann Lotts
( D/o Late Billy Graham), Rev. Dr. Theodore Williams, Dr. Samuel Kobia, WCC General Secretary (2007), Dr. Paul S. Rees (Ministry statesman), Revd Dr. A. B. Masilamani, Rev. Dr. Samuel Kamaleson (Veterinarian & Evangelist), and a host of others.Rev.George Alexander (Ed). "Maramon Convention Sathapdhi Valum-'95." Page 83-95. Rev. Prof. Valson Thampu (author, preacher, and educationist)
History
2023 The head of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church, The Most Rev Dr Theodosius Mar Thomas Metropolitan spoke against the government for their handling of the cost-of-living crisis and failure to look after the citizens of Kerala.Onmanorama website, article dated February 12, 2023
2022 The Kerala government allowed up to 1500 adults to attend the convention, if they could show a negative test for Covid 19.India Today website, article dated February 12, 202 The convention ran from 13–20 February.Marthoma College website, Maramon Convention-MCMAT
2021 Kerala High Court ordered that the convention could go ahead on 14–21 February, but that Covid 19 protocol should be strictly followed;Prime Legal website, Monitoring and suitable measures to be taken at Maramon Convention in the light of Covid-19: Kerala High Court, article dated February 14, 2021 numbers were limited to 100 persons for indoor venues, and 200 persons for outdoor venues.
2020 The convention took a stance against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Population Register; this was due to a belief that such laws would lead to religious and caste divide.New Indian Express website, Maramon Convention against Citizenship Amendment Act, article dated February 10, 2020
2019 From 2019 onward, women were allowed to attend the evening events.Indian Express website, article by Shaju Philip dated January 20, 2019 In the same year, the evening conventions were to be moved from Pampa river sand bed to the Mar Thoma Church Kozhenchery.Eventslate website, Maramon Convention, article published January 29th 2019
2018 The 123rd Maramon Convention, was scheduled from 11 to 17 February. The main speakers for the convention were Rt. Rev. Peter D. Eaton (Episcopalian Bishop, Southeast Florida Diocese); Rt. Rev. Dr. Soritua Nababan (Bishop Emeritus of Batak Christian Protestant Church, Indonesia and ex-officio of World Council of Churches) - cancelled; Bishop Robert Barron, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles - cancelled; Rev. Dr. Francis Sunderaraj, (Methodist minister, Chennai-Malaysia); Rev. Dr. Vinod Victor (CSI Church, Melbourne Diocese) and Evg. Dr.h.c. Ramachandran Rajkumar (Independent Evangelist, Logos Ministries, Delhi).
2017