The ancestral lineage & Family Tree
The ancestral lineage from Mathai spans about 300 years and 9 generations. Here we are presenting the progeny of Itteerah in 4 branches through his sons Mathai, Varkey, Abraham Kathanar and Cheria. It may be remembered that Itteerah also had 3 daughters, who were given in wedlock to the noble families of Pinjalai, Pulimoottil and Kanneth. However, due to the predominance of patriarchal lineage these families eventually drifted away form the mainstream.
The 4 branches of the family, delineated through the above male progenies, are presented here. These charts are originally prepared by Lovely Paul and Sanuba Kurian and cover 7 generations.
Ancestral lineage of any member of the family can be individually and chronologically traced. Lineage of Arun Paul, belonging to the 7th generation, is presented below as a typical example:
G1 Mathai-1 (1750) → G2 Itteerah (1790) → G3 Mathai-11 (1825) → G4 Thomman (1863) G5 Chacko (1903) → G6 Paul (1939) → G7 Arun (1973).
Foot note: The above example is presented to enable each family member to trace their individual lineage. G1 and G2 are common for all Alunkal family members. The branch-off details are available only from G3 onwards as per available information. Members are requested to prepare their individual lineage as per the above format.
Ancestral profile
No detailed information is available about the ancestors belonging to the first 3 generations starting with Shri Mathai.
G1
Mathai
Born: 1750
Departed: 1810
Mathai is the first known ancestor of the family. He led the family from Kodungallor and settled at Kandanad during 1780. He married Saramma from Pynadath Kuttikkattil family at Akaparamb (near Ankamali). Alunkal family has traditional links with Akaparamb due to this alliance. No further details of this conventional link are yet available.
Mathai was called to the Lord in 1810 and was interned in the old cemetery of Kandanad Church.
G11
Itteerah Mathai
Born: 1790 AD
Departed: 1855 AD
Father: Mathai
Mother: Saramma of Pynadathu- Kuttikkattil at Angamali
Life in brief:
No details are available with respect to his early days. His family had to flee from Kodungalloor to Kandanad fearing invasion by Tippu Sultan.
He was a devote follower of faith and one of his sons, Abraham, served in Kandanad Church as priest. The main occupation of Itteerah was related to extraction and trading of coconut oil. An ardent follower of the Syrian Christian faith, the Kandanad Church was his Alma mater.
Itteerah was called to the Lord in 1855 and was interned at the old cemetery of Kandanad Church.
His family:
Itteerah married Annamma of Onakkoor family. Their four sons- Mathai, Varkey, Abraham and Cheria are the title heads of the 4 main branches of the Alunkal Family (see the individual family charts). They also had 3 daughters (individual names not known) who were married to Chakravelil, Kanjiravelil and Thamarachal families.
G111
Mathai Itteerah (G 111, Br 1)
Born: 1825
Departed: 1890
Father: Itteerah
Mother: Annamma of Onakkoor family
Life in brief:
Mathai was the eldest son in the family of Itteerah. He, along with his father, worked hard to get a firm foot-hold at Kandanad. These efforts paved the way for establishing a strong agricultural base for the family. It was during his time that the family extended its agricultural land holdings beyond Kandanad to northern locations such as Kaniavilli, Kureekad and Kadungamangalam. This is regarded as the era of expansion and consolidation of the family assets.
Mathai was very noble in his dealings. He played a key role in the construction of the pallimeda, (administrative annex) of the Kandanad Church, during mid 19th century. This building, like the mother Church, was a massive structure of that period, which served as the residence (aramana) of the senior Bishops of the Church and the Guest House for the visiting dignitaries and Metropolitans from Antioch.
With the sterling role that Mathai and his brothers had in the affairs of the Church the name and fame of the family reached far and wide. There was hardly any Syrian Christian community in the state who did not hear of the Alunkal Family at Kandanad. The fame that our family earned was attributed to the nobility of character and dedication to traditional faith of our ancestors.
Mathai passed away in 1890 at the age of 65. His mortal remains rest in the southern side of the old cemetery of Kandanad Church.
His family:
Mathai married Kujamma of Kadapuram family at Kajiramattom. (Kunjumma was blue-eyed and extremely fair and it is observed that many descendants of these couple inherited this ancestral trait). The couple had four sons- Itteerah, Thomman, Kunjuvarkey and Kujulonnan, who became the titular heads of the four sub-branches of the family; Thuruthel, Athappillil, Thazhathu and Karote.
Varkey Itteerah (G 111, Br 11)
Born: 1831
Departed: 1905
Father: Itteerah
Mother: Annamma
Life in brief:
Varkey, along with his parents and brothers, lived in Thazhathu house. He was stated to be a tall and handsome person.
Varkey was a gentle and pious character. He had great attachment to his ancestral Church. Consequent to his marriage alliance from Padath house he moved to his wife house as there were no male descendants in that family. Thus he became the first person in Alunkal family to gain twin identity at Kandanad, known as Padath-Alunkal. The Padath-Alunkal family was settled at northern side of the Church lane, opposite to the original Alunkal tharavadu.
Varkey was called to Lord in 1905 at the age of 79. He was interned at the northern side of the old cemetery of Kandanad Church, the place ear-marked for Padath family.
His family:
Varkey married Saramma, the only heir to Padath family. (Her family migrated to Kandanad from Manarcad, near Kottayam. The Manarcad connection of our family, as often talked about, may have bearing to this ).
Varkey- Saramma couple had 4 sons and 4 daughters. Their sons are Avira (Kizhakkambalam), Rev. Fr. A.V.Abraham (Alunkal Achan), Kujuvarkey and Thomman. Their daughters are Kochunniyannam (Mulakkulam-Puthooraan), Kunjamma (Kandanad-Mattammel), Mariamma (Areekkuzha-Thakarappillil) and Kunjeli (Shrambikkal-Puthenpurakkal).
Rev. Fr. Abraham Itteerah (G111, Br. 111)
Born: 1846
Departed: 1915
Father: Itteerah
Mother: Annamma
Life in brief:
Rev. Fr. Abraham exhibited strong spiritual leanings right from his boyhood. This as well as traditional factors (his grandmother belonged to the Pynadath family at Angamali- a family with ecclesiastical background) was responsible for him to accept a religious order. After the migration to Kandanad the family identified themselves with the Kandanad Church, which gave them the much needed local influence. Itteerah, his father was a prominent figure and an ardent devotee of the Kandanad Church. Therefore, it was in scheme of the Almighty that he became a servant of the Church. Rev. Fr. Abraham is regarded as the first priest of our family.
Rev. Fr. Abraham was having a prominent position in the church. He had the distinction of participating in the Mulanthuruthy Synod in 1876, presided over by H.H Ignatius Abdulla the Patriarch of Antioch.
Achan lived in a small island (thuruthu), just north of his ancestral tharavad. During monsoon the thuruthu would be under waist-deep water. He and his family used large copper vessels, known as chempu, for ferrying them to the mainland.
Rev. Fr. Abraham was called to Lord in 1915, when he was 69. He was interned in the Priest’s vault of the Church. The death centenary of Achan was celebrated in 2015 at the ancestral Kandanad Cathedral by his family members together with the active participation of all members of Alunkal family.
Annamma of Kilithattil house was his wife. Their only son was Itteerah.
Cheria Itteerah (G 111, Br. 1V)
Born: 1850
Departed: 1920
Father: Itteerah
Mother: Annamma
Life in brief:
Cheria was the youngest son in the family. He married from the next-door family of Edavazhikkal. Since Edavazhikkal family had no male issue Cheria moved to his wife’s house, like his elder brother Varkey. Marriage alliance between the neighboring families is an example of the extremely close and cordial relations that existed at Kandanad during that period.
Edavazhikkal tharavadu was a 2-storied thatched building, a few meters east of Thazhathu tharavad, opposite to the present Roman Catholic Church at Kandanad. Cheria passed away in 1920 and was buried in the old cemetery of Kandanad Church, at the Edavazhikkal line.
His family:
Cheria married from Eavazhikkal family, Kandanad. Their only son was Mathulla.
G 1V
Rev. Fr. A.V.Abraham (G1V, Br 11)
(Photograph)
Born: 1869
Departed: 1951
Father: Varkey
Mother:Saramma
Life in brief:
Rev. Fr. Abraham, popularly known as Alunkal Achan, was the second son in the family. He had his primary education in Mulanthuruthy. Later he studied Syriac and became an acknowledged scholar in the language.
He was ordained a deacon in the year 1884 at the age of 15. As a deacon he excelled as a role model in spiritual life and solemn rendition of hymns. By virtue of his characteristic melodious voice he soon became the center of attraction in the Church. As a deacon he got ample opportunity to learn Syriac in its various applications in the liturgy.
The saga of Alunkal Achan is closely related to the history of the Kandanad diocese and Church. The diocese was formed in 1876 and the Church at Kandanad was designated as the “Head” Church of the diocese. The Church also had the rare privilege of being directly ruled by the most esteemed Bishops, who had their sway over the whole of Malankara. The first Bishop of the newly formed Kandanad diocese was H.B. Paulose Mor Evanious (Murimattathil). Deacon Abraham was ordained by the diocesan Metropolitan and was trained under him. He had association with other Metropolitans in the Church. Notable among them was the Saint H.B. Ghee Varghese Mor Gregarious of Parumala.
Deacon Abraham was ordained as priest by H.B.Paulose Mor Koorilose Kochuparambil in the year 1901 at the age of 32. (Mor Koorilose attained Sainthood in 2008).
Achan later worked under HB Paulose Mor Athanasious (attained Sainthood in 2009) who was the then Malankara Metropolitan and also the bishop of Kandanad diocese. Achan thus had the rare fortune to work under the most acclaimed and venerated Metropolitans in the Malankara Church. No wonder that Achan became the icon of Antiochean faith in his Parish Church.
Alunkal Achan was an artistic genius, specialized in 3D (cubical) images. He made several objet d’art of nature by his deft talent. His works are specimens of marvel as it difficult to distinguish them from natural produce. It is this artistic talent that enabled him in shaping the architecture marvel of Kandanad Church.
The re-building of the Church was started in 1932, under the direct responsibility and supervision of Achan. He prepared the blue-print for the monolithic structure taking cue from the famous Lourdes Church at Trichur. He was able to muster man-power, material and scarce resources for the colossal building by careful planning and skillful money management. An example of his total involvement and dedication in the construction of the Church is often narrated by the old-timers at Kandanad. Whenever the valloms carrying construction materials reach Kandanad River jetty Achan would exhort the laity and lead them to the unloading site. He would then become the first link in the human-chain that physically relay the material to the work- site. Achan adopted very novel methods for raising funds for the Church by mobilizing women power. He gave earthen bowl to each house-hold and instructed the women to save one handful of rice every time they measure out the grain for cooking. The rice thus saved, known as pidiyari, became one of the major sources of income. Similarly, raw rice (pidinellu), saved during harvest season, also became a source of income for the church. One coconut tree, from each house-hold, was set aside for the Church and the yield from it was regularly remitted to the Church building fund. Achan became very popular in the diocese due to his friendly and interactive dealings, which gave a sense of participation to everybody in the Church affairs. Achan paid keen attention even to the minutest details during the construction stage. The blend of Gothic and Persian style in its façade, the awe inspiring arch of the Madbaha, the ornamental kookkudisen, the hykkala, the Biblical inscriptions on walls, artistic display of Belgian color glasses on window-panes, etc have the characteristic touch of an art genius. The Church, when completed as per his vision, became a rare piece of architectural marvel. It was rightly named as ‘Jerusalem’ of the East.
Achan was a great social reformer at a time when such an attitude was taboo in the society. He understood that education was a great liberator. It was under his initiative that a primary and a secondary school started functioning at Kandanad. He served as the Manager of those schools during their teething times. The Maharaja of Travancore honored him with medal in recognition of his exceptional service to the society. The primary school later became a Government owned institute. The secondary school became a high school and is still the pride possession of the Church.
As a great spiritual orator Achan had few parallels. His sermons were soul stirring that often moved the whole congregation to tears. People flocked form afar to attend his Service and listen to him. He was particularly famed for his soul-stirring service during the Holy Week.
Achan had abiding pledge to the canons of the Church and commands of the spiritual hierarchy. His physical health deteriorated after he turned 80. He received his last Holy Sacrament in his bed from HB Paulose Mor Athanasious in the final candela service performed for him. Achan breathed his last on 11th March 1951 at the age of 82. His funeral service was attended by hundreds of mourning laity as he was laid to rest at the eastern block of the new cemetery- as the headperson of his beloved followers and a symbol of their everlasting faith.
His family:
Achan married Achha of Chakkara Akathoot family. They had 4 children, 2 sons and 2 daughters. His sons are late A.A. Avira married to late Sosamma (Kocheril) and late A.A. Varghese married to Kunjamma (Vederappillil). His daughters are late Saramma, married to late K. V. Varghese (Kattezhath) and Annamma married to late Varkey (Karaparambil). Rev. Dn. Abraham Alunkal (USA) is his grandson.
Itteerah Mathai (G1V, Br 1)
Born: 1855
Departed: 1915
Father: Mathai
Mother: Kunjamma
Life in Brief:
Itteerah was the eldest son in the family and shouldered the major responsibility in the Thazhathu tharavadu. During his time agriculture became the mainstay of the family and Itteerah became a dedicated full-time farmer.
Since it was customary that the elder sons shift their residence, after the marriage Itteerah and family moved to a thuruthu (surrounded by paddy fields), situated close-by, north of the tharavad. As they settled at the southern side of the thuruthu, the family was locally known as Thekkethuruthel.
Itteerah led a frugal life. His house built in the traditional and simple style still exists at Kandanad in its maiden form. Itteerah passed away in 1915 and was interned at the old cemetery of Kandanad Church.
His family:
Itteerah married Saramma of Cherukoth family at Chempu.
Kunjumpappy was his only son.
Thomman Mathai (G 1V, Br.1)
Born: 1863
Departed: 1925
Father: Mathai
Mother: Kunjumma
Life in brief:
Thomman was the second son of Mathai in thazhathu tharavad. He was a pious youngster who spent his leisure time in reading and understanding the Holy Scriptures. He was very passionate about the Old Testament, which he regarded as his guide to life and the treasure-house of knowledge. The Bible was his inseparable companion.
He and his family moved from the ancestral house at Kandanad to Kadungamangalam in the year 1900. His family settled at Kadungamangalam was locally known as Atthappilly, as the house and the plot originally belonged to a Nair family known by the name. Thomman had a special liking for children and enjoyed playing with them. At a time when the daughters-in-law in many families were treated indifferently he showed special care to them.
Thomman’s family at Kadungamangalam prospered due to hard work. The part played by Rebecca, his life partner, in building and extending the reach of the family beyond their original settlement at Kadungamangalam is to be specially remembered in this context. The Atthappilly branch of the Alunkal Family eventually grew in size.
The grand ancestor had indifferent health after he passed 60. In the absence of good medical care even small ailments proved life-threatening in those days. (In fact, this is what happened when he lost his only daughter Kunjappulla at her prime age of 24). Thomman was called to Lord at the age of 62 on 3rd March 1925. He was interned at the south-eastern side of the old cemetery of Kandanad Church, where he keeps tryst with his ancestors, awaiting the final roll-call of the Lord.
His family:
Thomman married Rebecca of Kajirakkattu family (Kaniavilly). His sons are late Mathai and late A.T. Chacko. Daughter was Kujappulla.
Kunjuvarkey (G1V, Br.1)
Born: 1865
Departed: 1930
Father: Mathai
Mother: Kunjumma
Life in brief:
Kunjuvarkey was born as the third son in the family. He spent the first half of his life with the ancestral family at Thazhathu. The second part of his life was at Koothattukulam, where he settled consequent to his re-marriage.
He passed away in 1930 and was interned at the cemetery of Koothattukulam Church.
His family:
Kunjuvarkey married Mathiri of Murimattathil family. Mathiri passed away after giving birth to a son, named Itteerah. His second marriage was with Mariam of Aradimalil. A daughter, named Annachy, was born out this wedlock.
Shri Kujulonnan (G 1V, Br.1)
Born: 1868
Departed: 1962
(photograph)
Father: Mathai
Mother: Kunjumma
Life in brief:
Kujulonnan was born as the youngest of Thazhathu tharavad.
He led a frugal life and in that respect he represented the common attribute of all forefathers in the family. He used to attend the Church very regularly. Elders in the family fondly recall his simplicity in life and his frail figure clad in simple white dhoti and a shawl. Though he was of small build he enjoyed good health and lived up to a ripe old age of 94. He thus became the oldest member of the family.
Shri Kujulonnan passed away in 1962 and was interned in the new cemetery of Kandanad Church.
His family:
Kujulonnan’s first marriage ended prematurely as his wife, from Komban house, passed away with out leaving any heir. He later re-married Mariam of Chakkara Akathoot family (Angamali). Kujulonnan- Mariam couple had 1 son and 2 daughters. His son is late Prof. A.O.Mathai. The daughters are late Mariamma (Ehzumamthuruthil) and Achappulla (Tharayil).
(Family history is sourced from the Heritage Committee of Alunkal Family Fellowship)