Mar Sabor and Mar Proth

Mar Sabor and Mar Proth (real names may be Mar Sabor and Mar Proth or Mar Sapir Proth or Mar Prodh or Mar Abo) (ca. 849) were two Assyrian Monks who build and ruled many churches in tranvancore and malabar south India.

In 800 AD Quilon was part of Venadu. It is believed that around 825 AD, Maruvan Sapir Eso a successful merchant from Persia crossed the seas to reach Quilon. Along with him came Mar Aproth and Mar Sapor, two bishops representing the Persian Catholicos. The then ruling monarch Iyyanadikal Thiruvadikal (849AD) welcomed the Persians and showered them with special privileges and honours and gifted Maruvan Sapir Eso with land to build a church. This is mentioned in ‘Tharisa Pally cheppedu’(QLN, Copper plates, Trav: Arch, Vol, 11, PP 60- 85)

Mar sabor moved to Kadamoattom ,Akapparambu,Niranamm,Kayamkulam then finally to Thevalakkara and he died and buried. He is a Bishop ,that's why he was ordinated the Kadamattathu kathanar..

Background

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Mar Sabor and Mar Proth came from Middle East on invitation of Kollam King Kuleshakara as an Authority for the Doctrine of Trinity on the background of a Shivate Revival of Advaita Vedanta propounded by Adi Shankara and were also instrumental in developing Christian faith as an independent Religion. The start of the Malayalam era (ME) is associated with Kollam.^[1][2] It is believed that the era was started by these Asyriac Saints who settled in Korukeni kollam, near to the present Kollam.^[3] The ME is also referred as Kollavarsham. The origin of Kollam Era has been dated as 825 AD when the great convention in Kollam was held at the behest of King Kulashekhara. Kollam was an important town in that period, and Malayalam Era is called 'Kolla Varsham' possibly as a result of the Tarish-a-palli sassnam. It also signified the independence of Malabar from the Cheraman Perumals. (Reference Travancore Manual page 244). King Kulashekhara granted the copper plate grants in 849 AD to Mar S(abo)r Iso whom he invited to Kollam from Assyria (present Persia & Syria with Constantinople as the spiritual seat (the Byzantine/Eastern Roman Empire), and transferring to the Tarasa Church and Vaishnavite Nambuthiri community at Devalokakara (Thevalakara-(Tarsish) in Quilon, lands near the city with hereditament of low caste. (Reference Travancore Manual page 244).

Malayalam calendar (also known as Malayalam Era or Kollavarsham) is a solar Sidereal calendar used in the state of Kerala in South India. The era started in the year 825 AD. The origin of Kollam Era been dated as being 825 AD being the great convention in Kollam at the behest of raja kulshekara. The Malayalam Era named after Quilon began in 825 AD. Malayalam Era is called 'Kolla Varsham' after Kollam, because of the importance of Kollam in the 9th century AD. It signified the independence of Malabar from the Cheraman Perumals. (Reference Travancore Manual page 244). King Kulashekra of Kollam, granted the copper plate grants in 825 AD to Mar S(abo)r Iso whom he invited to Kollam from Assyria (present Persia & Syria with Constantinople as the spiritual seat( the Byzantine/Eastern Roman Empire).

The fact remains that the largest proportion of texts recovered are from Assyria, especially from the shattered remains of Assurbanipal's library at Nineveh, but also from the old Assyrian capital at Assur, principally excavated by German expeditions in the twentieth century. In recent years, it has become increasingly clear that the written medical traditions continued in Babylonia after the fall of Assyria as is evidenced particularly by finds in the far southern city of Uruk and in tablets from the Babylon-Sippar area now in the British Museum (many unpublished).

In 825 CE, the Nestorian monks Mar Abo and Mar Proth arrived in Kollam on the invitation of the ruler of the Venad-a feudatory under the Chera kingdom.[6] The two monks received a Royal sanction called "Tarsish-a-palli" near "Korukenikollam" from Chera ruler Rajashekara varman Ayyanadikal Thiruvadikal, as described on the Tharisapalli plates. The two monks were instrumental in founding Christian churches with Syrian lytergy in the Malabar coast area distinct from ancient hinduism. Mar Abo lived his last years at Thevalakkara, and his remains were buried there in the Martha Mariam Orthodox Church. The Tharisapalli plates are signed by the Nestorian monks in Hebrew, Pahlavi and Kufic languages indicating that the Treaty were withJews, Persians and Nambuthiri Christian Brahmins.special privileges were given for Ezhavas in the Tarisa palli sasanam.

Kollam sea port was founded by Mar Abo at Thangasseri in 825 AD instead of re opening the inland sea port(kore-ke-ni kollam) near Backare (Thevalakara) also known as Nelcynda and Tyndis to the Romans and The Greeks and Thondi to the Taamils and is also the foundation of the new city,

It is also believed that Mar Abo volunteered to the chera king to create a new sea port town near at kollam instead of his request for renewing the Almost vanishing Tyndis or Nelcynda inland sea port(kore-ke-ni) at kollam,lying idle without trade for a few centuries because of the cheras being over run by pallavas in the 6th century AD ending the spice trade from Malabar coast.

Thevalakara Martha Mariam Orthodox Church

Mar Abo was laid to rest in Thevalakara Martha Mariam Orthodox Church.^[4] The Church is a famous pilgrim centre.

References

1. ^ Kerala government website
2. ^ In the Travancore State Manual, Ch:XIII,pages 49-50, by Sri. T.K. Velu Pillai according to keralainfoservice
3. ^ 'K Sivasankaran Nair, venadinte parinamam വെണാടിന്റെ പരിണാമം, DC books, pages 28-29
4. ^ http://www.marthamariamorthodoxsyrianchurch-thevalakara.in/

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