CSI Jaffna Diocese

Key producer market town celebrates a unique founding event

The Chavakacheri Church of the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India (JDCSI) began its life as a wayside chapel during a time the only form of transport available was the bullock cart and what today is the A9 Highway, the Kandy Road was a mere track used mostly by farmers to bring their products to the second largest producers market on the peninsula, the largest being Chunnakam.

The rich landowners of that time used palanquins borne by a particular caste group to go from place to place but the rest walked great distances or traveled by the bullock carts.

Chavakacheri got its name from its very brief historical connection through invasion during the 13^th century. It was called Javakakotte, a Javanese Fort and later Chavakacheri, a Javanese settlement. Once this foreign control was overthrown, it developed into a rich agricultural area and a township developed as a major market surrounded by several satellite farm villages. They produced what this town had became famous for such as jak, mango, naval, eacham and pala fruits, coconuts and a wide variety of Palmyra products including mats and baskets. Paddy fields bloomed and flourished and produced high quality rice during the rainy season in the entire region.

Following the founding of several English schools and vernacular Tamil schools in Tellipallai, Vaddukoddai, Uduvil and Uduppiddy by the American Mission, an English School, the Drieberg College, and several Tamil Schools were also founded in Chavakacheri by 1834 followed by nearby Usan a hamlet in Mirusuvil and later Nunavil, the three American Mission churches in the Thenmaradchy division.

All these developed long before the A9 Highway was built linking Jaffna directly to Kandy and via Anuradhapura to Colombo. Until then the forms of transport between Colombo and Jaffna were palanquins, donkey backs and considerable walking in various places and all these through rich and luscious jungle country. When the Chavakacheri chapel was founded it was another 70 years before the railway was built linking Jaffna with the rest of the country with Chavakacheri as one of the main railway stations. In other words the development of missionary work in Thenmaradchy went along with how this town prospered as a vital market town helped by a transport system that developed from scratch and an education service spearheaded by the missionaries.

On Saturday 10 April the Chavakacheri Church celebrated the 175^th year of its founding appropriately as deserving of its unique tradition and equally as part of the family of the Jaffna Diocese as one of its main churches. It has had its fair number of tragedies and the worst was how it was affected very badly during the civil war with the town where the church is situated badly mauled by aerial bombing. On December 30, 1993, the wife of the presbyter the Rev E N Lawrence was killed in an attack by the Sri Lanka Air Force that had believed that an LTTE brigade led by Colonel Kittu was holed up in the town.

Chavakacheri was also the home town of some of the leaders of the JDCSI and its predecessors such as the Saravanamutu, Yesuthason, Thiravianayagam, Hitchcock, John, Hunt, Eliezer, Sabapathipillai, Rajaratnam, Nalliah, Kandiah, Colporteur Chelliah and Subramaniam families. The last mission station of the Rev K S and Margery Jeyasingam was Chavakacheri and the Rev A C and Arul Thambirajah also served there before moving to Navajeevanam in Paranthan.

The founding of the Drieberg College also encouraged the local community to launch two major school ventures, the Chavakacheri Hindu Ladies College and Sangathanai Hindu College underlining the importance the Tamil community placed on education. The anniversary event was conducted along with the celebration of Eucharist by the Bishop of the JDCSI, the Rt Rev Dr Daniel Thiagarajah assisted by the presbyter of the church, the Rev K J W Devasagayam and the Rev E N Lawrence to whom this church has a very special meaning treasuring in beloved remembrance his wife who was killed by aerial bombing in the precincts.

It was also significant that the former JDCSI bishop, the Rt Rev Dr Subramaniam Jebanesan participated in it and the sermon was delivered by his brother, the Rev S N Sugunanandan who had specially traveled from Australia to attend this event. Soon after the service the Rev Mr. Sugunanandan unveiled the new name board of the church. A public function followed the service at which two books were released. The first one was “My Story” (En Kathai) by the Rt Rev Dr S Jebanesan and the other, the “Historty of Chavakacheri Church” from 1951 to 2010 which also has a first part from 1834 to 1951 written by the late father of Bishop Jebanesan and Rev Sugunanandan, the late Rev N Subramaniam.

The first copies of the books were received by the Reverends S N Sugunanandan, Inthradas Rajkumar, E N Lawrence and G Nadarajah Vice Principal of Jaffna College and Mrs Shiranee Mills Principal of Uduvil Girls College, Mrs Vimala Jebanesan, Messrs S R Jesupalan, Edward Arunthavaseelan, Army and Police Officers, Superintendent of Electrical Services, the Grama Sevaka and several members of the public. A review of Bishop Jebanesan’s “My Story” was given by Mr J C Jeyaseelan, the Assistant Librarian of Jaffna College. The function came to an end with a fellowship lunch at which over 200 people participated.