Konankuppam
Encyclopedia
Konankuppam is small village situated in Cuddalore
district of Tamil Nadu
. Which was known as aariyanur Where veeramamunivar wrote the Thembavani
in Tamil.
was constructed by the great missionary Fr.Beshi.
The place where the shrine is located was once a forest place. People used to come here for feeding their flocks. There were lots of trees and bushes here. In the 17th century, the Italian father and a great missionary, Fr.Beschi, brought two statues of Mother Mary to be kept in the place where he worked, namely Elakuruchi / Thirukavalur ( Now in Kumbakonam
Diocese). He preached all over Tamil Nadu and on the way to his place he happened to pass over this forest and due to tiredness he slept under a tree with the two statues. The boys who were looking after the cattle, playfully hid one of the statues behind the bush. Fr. Beshi was shocked to know that one statue was missing and went to his place sadly.
There was a man called Kachirayar in Konankuppam. He had no child. Every day he used to pray to god . One day Our Lady appeared to him in his dream and said " Kachirayar, I'm alone in the forest . If you build a chapel for me , I'll give a child to you". After saying this she disappeared. Hearing this he was very much happy and began to search for the statue in the forest. As they cut the bushes and trees, they found the statue behind a big bush. This statue is placed in the shrine till today. People constructed a small chapel and placed this statue there and began to worship.
After some time Fr.Beshi happened to hear about this and came to Konankuppam and saw the small chapel built for the statue which he lost once. He was very much delighted and decided to make Konankuppam as his work place. He constructed the shrine which exists today. It is said to have been the first place of worship he erected and when it was completed he went to Madras and asked the Bishop of Mylapore
to procure for him a statue from Manila
, an image of the virgin, in native dress of Tamil Nadu and bearing the child Jesus in her arms, fashioned after a model he had made. The image eventually arrived and was set up in the church, were it still is today.
This life-size statue stands on a pedestal about ten feet high and is made of wood and painted in bright colours. In honour of it and of the Church, Beschi composed his Tamil Poem THEMBAVANI
, which vying in length with the ILIAD itself is by for the most celebrated and most voluminous of his works. He completed this work in the year 1726. The Tamil conference conducted in Madurai during 1728 - 1729 AD approved his work and published it for the common good .
it is about 200 km to reach Ulundurpet which is in the Chennai - Trichy highway. Konankuppam is about 12 km from Ulundurpet via Mangalampet. it takes about 20 minutes journey to reach Mangalampet which is in Ulundurpet - Virdhachalam road.
Cuddalore
Cuddalore is a fast growing industrial city and headquarter of Cuddalore district in the Tamil Nadu state of southern India. Located south of Pondicherry on the coast of Bay of Bengal, Cuddalore has a large number of industries which employ a great deal of the city's population.Cuddalore is known...
district of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
. Which was known as aariyanur Where veeramamunivar wrote the Thembavani
Thembavani
Thembavani , one of the Tamil classics, a poetical work of Veeramamunivar , on the life of Jesus Christ. This Tamil Divina Commedia is divided into thirty-six cantos, containing 3,615 stanzas. "It is," says Baumgartner, "the noblest epic poem in honor of St. Joseph written in any literature, East...
in Tamil.
History
The Perianayagi Madha ShrineShrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
was constructed by the great missionary Fr.Beshi.
The place where the shrine is located was once a forest place. People used to come here for feeding their flocks. There were lots of trees and bushes here. In the 17th century, the Italian father and a great missionary, Fr.Beschi, brought two statues of Mother Mary to be kept in the place where he worked, namely Elakuruchi / Thirukavalur ( Now in Kumbakonam
Kumbakonam
Kumbakonam , also spelt as Coombaconum in the records of British India , is a town and a special grade municipality in the Thanjavur district in the southeast Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Located 40 kilometres from Thanjavur and 272 kilometres from Chennai, it is the headquarters of the Kumbakonam...
Diocese). He preached all over Tamil Nadu and on the way to his place he happened to pass over this forest and due to tiredness he slept under a tree with the two statues. The boys who were looking after the cattle, playfully hid one of the statues behind the bush. Fr. Beshi was shocked to know that one statue was missing and went to his place sadly.
There was a man called Kachirayar in Konankuppam. He had no child. Every day he used to pray to god . One day Our Lady appeared to him in his dream and said " Kachirayar, I'm alone in the forest . If you build a chapel for me , I'll give a child to you". After saying this she disappeared. Hearing this he was very much happy and began to search for the statue in the forest. As they cut the bushes and trees, they found the statue behind a big bush. This statue is placed in the shrine till today. People constructed a small chapel and placed this statue there and began to worship.
After some time Fr.Beshi happened to hear about this and came to Konankuppam and saw the small chapel built for the statue which he lost once. He was very much delighted and decided to make Konankuppam as his work place. He constructed the shrine which exists today. It is said to have been the first place of worship he erected and when it was completed he went to Madras and asked the Bishop of Mylapore
Mylapore
Mylapore is a cultural hub and neighborhood in the southern part of the city of Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, India. Earlier, Mylapore used to be called Vedapuri....
to procure for him a statue from Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, an image of the virgin, in native dress of Tamil Nadu and bearing the child Jesus in her arms, fashioned after a model he had made. The image eventually arrived and was set up in the church, were it still is today.
This life-size statue stands on a pedestal about ten feet high and is made of wood and painted in bright colours. In honour of it and of the Church, Beschi composed his Tamil Poem THEMBAVANI
Thembavani
Thembavani , one of the Tamil classics, a poetical work of Veeramamunivar , on the life of Jesus Christ. This Tamil Divina Commedia is divided into thirty-six cantos, containing 3,615 stanzas. "It is," says Baumgartner, "the noblest epic poem in honor of St. Joseph written in any literature, East...
, which vying in length with the ILIAD itself is by for the most celebrated and most voluminous of his works. He completed this work in the year 1726. The Tamil conference conducted in Madurai during 1728 - 1729 AD approved his work and published it for the common good .
Location
From ChennaiChennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
it is about 200 km to reach Ulundurpet which is in the Chennai - Trichy highway. Konankuppam is about 12 km from Ulundurpet via Mangalampet. it takes about 20 minutes journey to reach Mangalampet which is in Ulundurpet - Virdhachalam road.