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| Schwartz church,Thanjavur,. Raja Serfoji with dying father.Madrasmusing.com |
There
were a lot of evangelists who
not only spread Christianity in India but also dedicated themselves
to the cause of education and other social services like construction
of hospitals, free medical services, etc., without strings attached. Unmindful of rewards and accolades, they made immense contribution to the local communities.
Fr. Schwartz
also started many Christian educational institutions in Tamil Nadu, particularly in Thanjavur and Tiruchi districts. Unfortunately, some of them in those days enticed the natives to convert to Christianity by
offering them free education, food, shelter and jobs with the British
company. Self-contented Indian natives became more infuriated than
ever before over the uncharitable attitudes of the some of the Christian
evangelists. They
thought it
was a blatant intrusion and transgression into other's religious
freedom, practice and culture.
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| Location map Thanjavur Weather-Forecast.com |
While officially discouraging
conversions of natives to Christianity, officers of the English company routinely converted Sepoys to the foreign religion in a subtle manner, sometimes by force. This was one of the factors that led to
the first Indian War of Independence -Sepoy Mutiny(1857). The root cause of the Vellore Mutiny of July 10, 1806) that predated the Sepoy Mutiny was unwanted interference in religious matters by the British Army which asked the Hindus to remove the religious mark on their foreheads and Muslims to shave off their beards.
Even now many historians resent the mistakes unwittingly committed by Fr. Schwartz. He had Raja Serfoji inscribe the history of Bhonsly clan in detail on the granite walls near saint Karoorar shrine of the great Big temple built by Rajaraja Chola and forcing him to build a church behind the temple complex. The great Chola king himself failed to inscribe the Chola history on the stones in the temple. The great Maratha king Serfoji and Tulajaji refused to go along with Fr. Schwartz and change their religion to Christianity at any cost. These two colossal blunders of Fr. Schwartz overshadow his great contributions made in the areas of education, social and community services, etc. No doubt he dedicated his life to the cause of poor people regardless of religion and spent the later part of his life in Thanjavur till his death.
When Fr. Schwartz died in 1798, the grateful Maratha ruler, Serfoji II, donated a striking marble tablet, made by John Flaxman showing the dying moments of Schwartz surrounded by his ministers and Maratha rulers and this has been placed at the western end of the church near Sivaganga Park, Thanjavur. He also promised to take care of the Christian community of Thanjavur. Later the secular Maratha rulers of Thanjavur liberally donated a vast tract of land now called Manambuchavadi, a suburb of Thanjavur city where a large Christian community is still living.
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