Mor Gregorios Bava
GENEALOGY
The ancestral background of Parumala Thirumeni can be traced back to one of the brothers of a Metropolitan, who reached Malankara from Asia Minor. (Source- book published by Mulunthuruthy church in early 20th century & from the history of Kattumangatt family )
It was in AD.1675 during the tenure of Malankara Metropolitan 'MarThoma II', Metropolitan Mor Anthrayos together with his 2 brothers and some others migrated to Malankara from 'TurAbdin' (an ancient Syriac Christian settlement area of the present Turkey). One of the brothers of Mor Anthrayos is genealogically the ancestor of Parumala Thirumeni. According to the famous historian Ittoop Writer and many others, Mor Anthrayos came here as the delegate of the then Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch. (But Edavazhikkal E.M.PHILIP in his book "Marthoma's Indian Church" doubts the status of bishoprics of Mor Anthrayos). On reaching Malankara, Mor Anthrayos stayed at the Mulunthuruthy MarThoman church. He continued to be there for many more years. But due to some dubious acts of an influential family of the church, he was forced to leave the place. Mor Anthrayos later visited and stayed at St.Mary's Church Piravom, St. Mary's Church Manarcaud and the Puthenkavu Church in the south. There he taught Syriac and gave guidance to the clergy. In 1682, Mor Anthrayos while taking bath, slipped into the river at Kallada, and died. His body was laid to rest at the Kallada church. The annual 'Dhukrono' of the Holy father is still celebrated in that church. In the Southern districts of Kerala, he is popularly known as "Kallada Appoppen", while northerners call him "Kallada Bawa".
A few years after the demise of Mor Anthrayos, his two brothers went to Piravom and stayed at the church building ('Pallimeda' in Malayalam) which was called as 'Srambi'. Later they returned to Mulunthuruthy and adopted 'Srambikkal' as their family name. Of the two brothers of Mor Anthrayos, one married from 'Palasna' family and had two children. These two children later settled at places called "Kattumangatt" & "Thanagatt" near Mulunthuruthy and adopted these very names for their families. In due course they become prominent families of the area. The two famous "Kattumangatt Metropolitans" were the descendants of the family that stayed at "Kattumangatt". But later on, the rift between these two families increased. By around 1800, "Thanagatt" family became more prosperous and the administration of the ancient Mulunthuruthy MarThoman church came under them.
The famous "PALLATHITTA" family, to which Mor Gregorios (Parumala Thirumeni) belongs, is a direct branch of this "Thanagatt" family. "Vettikkal Kurisu Palli", which later become the first Dayro of the Malankara Church, was supposed to be constructed by Iypooru Tharakan I, of this Pallathitta family. Pallathitta Fr. Geevarghese Malpan was the nephew of this Ipooran. Earlier this branch of the family (Pallathitta) had migrated to Kandanad, near Mulunthuruthy and stayed at "Pallipram Kallarakal" House. Pallathitta Fr.Geevarghese Malpan's brother 'Kochu Mathai' later shifted to "Chathuruthy House" at Mulunthuruthy some years after his marriage with 'Mariya'.
St. Gregorious Geevarghese was born on 15th June 1848 as the youngest son of this "Kochu Mathai" & "Mariya" of "Chathuruthy House". The parents named him Geevarghese and was baptized at the Mulanthuruthy MarThoman Church. "Kochu Iypora" was his pet name.
In the long history of the family, there were many priests including some of the famous 'Malpans' (teachers for Syriac and theology). This great tradition of Priesthood is continuing even today; Metropolitan H.G. Joseph Mor Gregorios of Cochin diocese belongs to the fourth generation of Parumala Thirumeni's family. The present Priest-trustee of the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church, Malankara Malpan Very Rev. Kurien Corepiscopa Kaniamparambil, one of the greatest Syriac Scholar and historian of the century, is another descendant (Vanmeli branch) of this 'Thanagatt' family.
