Akaparambu

Akaparambu Akaparambu
village

Akaparambu, or Akapparambu is a village in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, India near the Cochin International Airport and south of the town of Angamaly. The people are mostly Malayam Christians of the Syrian Orthodox Church, but there are many Hindus and other religions who all live together in peace and mutual respect. Recent thuggish attacks on two of the Christian churches by mentally challenged outsiders are being dealt with seriously by the authorities.

Economy

In the past, people of Akaparambu worked on the land or in Angamaly. Now many of the people work at the airport, which is less than 1 km away. From being quiet rural location about 15 years ago, before the airport was proposed, land has become hot property in this region. Akaparambu and other communities in the area such as Nayathodu, Vapalassery, Avanamkodu, Thuruthussery, Athani and Chengamanad are seeing a huge rise in the price of land. Akaparambu may find itself in the heart of a full-fledged airport city ten years from now..

Churches

File:Thomasstamp.jpg

St.Thomas depicted on a 1972 Indian postage stamp.

Christianity has a long history in the region, coming here long before the religion reached Europe and other places. Tradition is that Saint Thomas the Apostle established the Malankara Church in AD 52. It became established with the arrival a group of Syrian Christians (Knanaites) from Urhoy (Edessa) in AD 345 C.E..

Akaparambu Mor Sabor Mor Aphroth Church

This is one of the ancient churches of the Ankamaly diocese of the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church. In the title deed of the church and in ancient revenue and tax records the church is referred to as the Akaparambu Valiyapally. Mor Sabor and Mor Aphroth are said to be two saintly men who came to Malankara to preach the Gospel with a group of Syrian Christian immigrants lead by a merchant named Sapor Esho. They are said to have disembarked at Quilon (Kollam) in c. 822. The church at Akaparambu is believed to have been established in A.D. 825.

The church is famous for its murals, which are of great antiquity. The Saint Mor Athanasius Paulose (1918-1953) was christened in this church. For centuries the Church at Ankamaly and the Mor Sabor and Mor Afroth chapel at Akaparambu were a united parish and was administered by one council as is evident in the record of a general body meeting of 16-8-1069 (Malayalam Calendar).

Sts.Girvasis & Prothasis Catholic Church

This is an old Catholic Church located at Akapparambu

Kalari

The Akapparambu Kalari has a kalary temple without roof and main prathishta is headed by Lord Virabhadran. The other prathishtas in the temple are Lord Ganesha, Saraswati Bhagawati, Rekteswari and Bhuvaneswari. Astrology, mantra-tandra and Ayurveda (treatment) were the main profession of the members, who did not have very deep knowledge in Sanskrit and Ayurveda. It is difficult to recruit members of the new generation to this profession.

Eravikulangara Bhagavathi Temple

The Eravikulangara temple is an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Bhagavan Shiva and Bhagavan Ayyappan. Vilwamangalam Swamiyar had 'The Darshan of Devi' (the sight of the divine) at this place, hence the hillock where the temple is situated is also called Thiruviluam Kunnu.