Chapter 4

Chapter 4 Introduction to Ms. Helen Knott, Adjutant Evelyn, and Major Brett; Purushotham's tenacity; Elder brother's distress; Arriving back home; Wife's first arrival and exit; Trip to Vishakhapatnam; Trip to Cuttack; Acceptance of Christian Faith. "Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he will be receiving for an inheritance, obeyed and he went out." Heb 11:8 During the last days of William Carey who 'expected great things from God and attempted great things for God,' his missionary efforts for India were gradually proving fruitful. Religious Teaching by Ms. Helen Knott There used to be bungalows inhabited by the white people of the regiment, on the banks of river Nagavali, downward to the present missionary bungalow in the area called 'Balaga.' Devout Christian whites used to live there. Purushotham thought that it would be right to see if anyone had the knowledge of Christ religion, before setting out to Madras. As he enquired, he came to know that a Ms. Helen Knott, wife of Captain Knott, established a couple of Andhra Girls Schools educating the children, and was distributing Christian tracts. Purushotham heard that she was a generous and kind lady. He was filled with great joy and relief, and wanted to share with her, his desire of heart about the Christian faith. One fine day in April 1833 at noon, Purushotham Chowdhary stood at the entrance of the house of Ms. Helen Knott, in scorching heat and hot wind blowing and howling around him. While Purushotham was standing in the sweltering sun, Ms. Knott happened to see out of her window and kindly sent for him to come in. He went in and greeted her. The lady spoke to him in Hindi about his condition and what brought him to her place. After listening to what he had to say, she gave him a leaflet entitled "Divine test of Hindu Faith" and asked him to return the following day. Having read the leaflet, the seeker of truth being the wiser, went back to the lady and spoke to her about his understanding of the Christian faith. Ms. Knott

did not initially trust him and thought that he came back to her with a hidden agenda. Then Purushotham discussed in detail his past struggles, for the salvation of his soul, showed to her the leaflets, the letter written by the Catholic gentleman from Berhampur and a copy of his own letter of appeal to Mr. Russel. She had those documents read to her, and joyfully believed him. Then the kind lady tested him telling him about the struggles, losses, pitfalls and temptations that would beset him if he embraced Christian faith. Purushotham replied saying that he would withstand all those trials and temptations by the grace of God. On hearing his answer, she was glad and gave him a few more tracts, the Gospel according to Luke and a book entitled "Voyage to Heaven." She urged him to visit her every day, and to read the books to know new things about the faith. Purushotham was filled with joy and gratitude towards the kindhearted white lady. As if a pauper found a great treasure, he went back to his place with a smile of contentment. He read the material and learned things that were hazy to him earlier. He discovered the nature of sin, that it cannot be purged by any good deed that man does. Expiation is possible only through God's unmerited grace in which He sent His Son Jesus Christ to become man. He shed his blood, became propitiation and through his merit, makes the sinner blameless. This and other vital things became clear to Purushotham. Thus, our seeker after the truth experienced joy and his resolve to fellow Jesus was strengthened. Adjutant Evelyn's Loving Reception One morning, Ms. Knott sent our new seeker to Adjutant Evelyn who was in the regiment. He spoke to Purushotham and asked him, "are you willing to go to the Missionary Pastors in Madras, if I send you by ship?" Purushotham with great excitement replied, "not only to Madras, anywhere you send me, I am ready!" In great joy, Evelynn raised his eyes to heaven and said, "God has lit a lamp in this dark land." He asked Purushotham "Have you got any close relatives?" Purushotham said he had.

Evelynn said "Do they know what you are about to do?" "No," Purushotham replied. "Are you willing to inform them even at this stage?" Evelynn asked. "I am ready to do whatever you think right" Purushotham said. "I think you should keep them informed. You can write a letter and send it to them through someone. I will pay him his wage." Then Purushotham wrote a letter to his brother Jagannath Chowdhary. Elder Brother's Cry of Despair On reading the letter, Jagannath Chowdhary was shaken. He along with Ramakrishna Kali Mohanthy, Poet Laureate of Kallikota regency and a few relatives rushed to Srikakulam in great anguish. They embraced Purushotham, wept and pleaded with him not to enter Christ religion. Seeing that they could not sway him with their sorrow, they took him to Ms. Knott's bungalow and bitterly disputed with her. Many words were exchanged. Jagannath, overwhelmed by grief took up a heavy stone, saying that he will break his own head in front of Ms. Knott. Finally, the lady entrusted Purushotham to them and explained for how long he had been entertaining the idea of becoming a Christian, and showed them the Berhampur letter and other papers. They were taken aback and stopped accusing her and turned to Purushotham with words of reproach. His brother, not able to contain the grief, fell on his feet prostrate and cried out "Oh my dear brother, my only brother, what do I do now? How can I bear this?" He rushed to the market saying that he would swallow 'vasanabhi,' a poisonous herb and die. Rest of the relatives too rebuked and scolded him, but they could not change his conviction. They left him. None of them had anything to eat and drink the whole day. That evening, Jagannath and another relative met Purushotham intending to convince him with some ruse. Jagannath crying heavily, said in a self-effacing manner "brother, our mother and your wife on hearing what you wrote in the letter, did not eat and drink since then. They are at home grief stricken. Show yourself to them just once and you could get back. So please come home with us."

Thus,J agannath beseeched his brother with tears. Tears of grief can dissolve the hardest of hearts. Our seeker after the truth, moved by the appeal and disposition of his brother, considered this plea and said he would go with them. His brother was greatly comforted. That night they cooked a good meal for themselves. Purushotham went to Ms. Knott and told her that he would go home and get back in a week. Next morning, he left with his brother and relatives for Madanapuram, his home town, about 20 kilometers from Srikakulam. Meeting his Mother On seeing Purushotham, his mother and wife cried bitterly. Innumerable relatives and friends surrounded him and spoke harshly. Some blamed him, some rebuked and some abused him. Some planned to bind him and shut him up in a room. Released From the Tyranny of the Relatives All their plots failed. Having seen his equanimity unchanged and further noticing the remarkable meekness in Purushotham, their attitude took a turn for the better, and they treated him kindly. His wife Radhamani Choudhurani planned to go with him, but went on postponing their travel, thus delaying Purushotham for 14 days. Thereafter, when our poet urged them earnestly, his wife and their 2year old daughter Shanta Kumari, accompanied by a relative followed Purushotham to Srikakulam. Since Purushotham was yet to rescind his caste, the relatives consulted among themselves and allowed his wife and child to go with him without any fuss. They sent a relative with them, just for her sake. Radhamani Devi, however, was feeling depressed on leaving her household and wanted to go back to her family. In the meanwhile, Ms. Helen Knott was anxious about Purushotham's delay in getting back. She therefore sent two men with a letter, enclosing a rupee in a white paper. She instructed them to deliver the letter in secret to Purushotham. The two men searched for Purushotham in vain and returned to Srikakulam on the very day Purushotham and family got back. They found him by providence and recognized him, since they happened to see

him with Ms. Knott before, and gave the letter to him. Purushotham opened and read the letter. To, Babu Purushotham Chowdhary, Sir, we have been expecting you every moment since the end of the agreed time. If you are held against your will, by your people, write a compliant to the District Collector on the white paper I am sending you, and send it to me through these men. I will forward it to the collector and see that you are released. If, on the other hand, you find a way to escape, please write to me. I can secretly send you a cart or a horse. Use the rupee I folded herewith for your expenses. Yours Helen Knott Return of His Wife Purushotham was extremely glad for Ms. Knott's kindness and Christian goodwill. On hearing about Purushotham's arrival, Ms. Knott went on a cart to see him, his wife and daughter. She was immensely happy to see them and spoke a few words of encouragement to Mrs. Radhamani Devi, since Radhamani was in great worry regarding Purushotham's entry into the new religion and giving up relations with his family. On the third day, her mother in law and brother visited them. This had considerably lifted her spirits. Noticing her state of mind, Purushotham thought it best to send her back. She was over joyed at this and promised her husband "I would join you when you are totally settled in the religion of Christ and return home." Next day, Purushotham's mother Subhadra Devi Choudhurani and her brother took Purushotham's wife Radhamani Devi Chaudhurani back to Madanapuram.

A firm Plan of Action Then Ms. Helen Knott and Adjutant Evelyn discussed what could be done in Purushotham's case. Those days the believers in the Army regiment were very much concerned with the missionary work. Thus Adj. Evelyn in great love, continued to assist Purushotham. Life in Vishakhapatnam, Death of the Officer Evelyn Missionaries of the London Missionary Society, Rev George Crane, and Rev. Augustus Des Granges, who reached Vishakhapatnam in 1805, died not much later in 1809 and 1810 respectively. It was not known when Rev. James Dawson arrived, but he might have distributed the gospel tracts printed by Carey of Sirampore in these parts. Previously when our hero Purushotham went to Vishakhapatnam, Mr. Dawson was indisposed. At the time of his death in 1832, he entrusted his two sons to the care of Major Brett, an army officer in East India Company. At that time, Maj. Brett was looking after the affairs of London Missionary Society. One of the sons of Mr. Dawson, William Dawson was put in charge of the Mission Schools. At this time, Adj. Evelyn and Ms. Knott, thought it best to write a commendation letter in the name of Maj. Brett. They kept the letter in a leather pouch, gave it to Purushotham and sent him to Vishakhapatnam in the company of one more person. Purushotham reached there in May 1833 and handed the letter to Maj. Brett. The good Major felt happy on seeing the letter, welcomed this new seeker and comforted him with all Christian love and concern. He provided Purushotham all amenities. After a few months, Adj. Evelyn went to Vishakhapatnam, fell ill and died. The help Purushotham was getting from Evelyn stopped. Now Maj. Brett and William Dawson loved Purushotham. William Dawson, though very young, kept our hero in his house as his guest and extended hospitality for many months. 1829 Edition of the Bible God wonderfully equips those he has chosen to invite into his glorious kingdom. God knows that his servant Purushotham needs a copy of the

Bible. So, God established the Bible Society in Madras, within a few years of the birth of Purushotham. Rev Pritchett translated New Testament in 1818 in Vishakhapatnam. And it was printed at Madras the previous year with the financial help of the Calcutta Bible Society. In 1829, Maj. Brett gave a copy of the New Testament printed in Madras by the Madras Bible Society to Purushotham. He read it with rapt attention from cover to cover, underlining important parts with a pencil (We can see it even today)1. Maj. Brett showed the verses of the Bible and explained Biblical truths with great clarity, thus taking trouble to encourage Purushotham. Discarding of 'Yagnopaveetam' (Holy Thread) Purushotham having had a very close and critical look at the essential differences between various old faiths he had held on to and Christianity, took appropriate decisions step by step. He left his family circle. He abandoned caste with all its rituals. He considered it hypocritical to discard some and keep some of them. The "sacred thread" that stood for the Hindu concept of 'twice born,' bestowed upon him by the Brahmins on the day of his "Upanayana" (Sacred thread laying ceremony) with injunction "yajnopaveetam pramam pavitram" (sacred thread utterly holy) and that which was considered consecrated by the people of his clan, was still around his neck. He felt that adorning the name of Jesus, while yet keeping the thread is not pure devotion. Thus, on June 10th, 1833 with great courage he removed the thread and handed it over to Major Brett, thereby openly renouncing his caste. He was the steward in the clan, poet laureate in the Parlakimidi royal court, he belonged to the superior clan of Bhardwaj, a member of the Mythili Panchagowda group, custodian of "Katyayana Sutra," and professor of Samaveda. Instead of boasting about his caste, clan, and Pravara, Purushotham (like the man of God Paul who considered those that are beneficial to him as trash for the sake of the excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ), decided to stand alone on the side of Jesus whom he loved, the first person to do so among his family and caste groups. Later,

in 1853, he wrote a tract named "Analysis of Caste and Ritual," and added the following poem at the end. "Caste of Human kind is one, Yet many are the names and creeds A two-edged sword this is! The Lord sanctioned this grace to His servant Purushotham" And this hand bill had sold in thousands assisting the seekers after the truth. In addition to the caste system, he whole heartedly abhorred idolatry and wrote the popular tracts "Illustration of the way to heaven," and "Building idols" thus demonstrating his dislike for Hindu religion. Journey to Cuttack Now Purushotham was deeply committed and desirous of taking Baptism and mentioned this a number of times to Major Brett. He, in turn tried his best to send Purushotham to Madras to the missionaries by ship. But because of the onset of monsoon, there was no way the ordinary sail boats can undertake such a voyage. This too had the divine providence. As if in response to the prayers of the saints, Helen Knott received a reply from Orissa Baptist Missionaries in Cuttack about Purushotham. They wanted him sent to Cuttack. Ms. Knott sent this letter to Vishakhapatnam. Major Brett read it, spoke to Purushotham about the invitation from the missionaries who would be happy to Baptize him. Purushotham was excited at the news and hastened to go. The very next day Major Brett made arrangements for the journey, wrote a note to the missionaries and sent him along with a servant. Purushotham might have launched on this journey most probably towards the end of June or beginning of July, 1833. They had to pass through dangerous jungle tracks of land infested with cruel animals, snakes, monkeys, robbers, and uncivilized tribes. There were no safe highways those days. It took about two to three weeks to

cover a distance of 300 miles. On the way, they crossed Chilka lake and reached Cuttack. The details of Purushotham's baptism in Cuttack are included in the book "Orissa and its Geographical History in connection with the General Baptist Mission History" (Orissa, its Geography, Statistics & c P. 229) written by the then Secretary to Bengal government Mr. Andrew Sterling and Rev. James Pegg, page 229. The City of Cuttack At that time, there were not many Christians in Cuttack. It was sheer grace of God that Purushotham should have an opportunity to enjoy fellowship with them. The Baptist missionaries started preaching of the gospel on 12th February, 1822. Cuttack was in fact a sort of island between Mahanadi and its tributary Cutjodi. The city had a lane with 12 shops, known as "Bara bazaar." Until 1912 under the administration of Delhi royalty, Cuttack was in the State of Bengal, and home to thousands of Telugu people. It was the capital city of the modern 'Utkal' state. Bengali and Hindustani were widely spoken. By then, there were a few Christians (one of them being Babu Doitari Naik, who subsequently came into Purushotham's family by marriage). These Christians joined the missionaries in welcoming Purushotham. The social and religious reforms that were taking place in Calcutta, Serampore and other places helped Purushotham to assess and distinguish between some profound Hindu rituals and Christian sacraments. During the purification bath (Viraaja snaanam), the candidate would say"For the sin of knowing (the wrong things) and not knowing (the right things) Hereby I take this holy bath…" Purushotham clearly understood the difference between this and the Baptism in Christ, denoting a new birth. During this time the great Bengali Reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy died in England on 27th, 1833. At the very same time Roy was denouncing idolatry and Caste system,

Purushotham, by the help of the new life in Jesus, acquired the power to perpetuate such reforms until the present day. Churches of the English Baptist Mission in Cuttack examined the steadfast faith of Purushotham and admitted him into their Church. Rev. Charles Lacy who baptized him on that glorious day described the event in his book. Chowdhary Purushotham's Baptism It was decided to baptize Purushotham on 6th October 1833- a Sunday. The circuit judge had graciously given permission for the use of a large pond (called Ganga Mandiram) in the city. The choice was appropriate for this holy act, and significant because it was centrally located by the side of the high way on the main Bazaar. They sang a song in Oriya, prayed and proclaimed the good news with a thousand-strong audience present. After the opening prayer, the crowds sat comfortably on the grass around the pond. This was a spectacular sight. The people maintained a reverential silence. The Priest Rev. Lacy and the candidate Purushotham Chowdhary went down the steps into the water, and Purushotham was given immersion in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, intoned in English and the vernacular. There were several reasons for conducting this event in a public place.The first was to attract many and preach the message to them. The second reason was to dispel wrong understanding created by the opponents of the faith among the common people about Baptism. London Mission's Labors of Love- the Value of Gospel Tracts "Our brother Purushotham could approach, recognize and acknowledge the grace of God in Lord's supper that very evening. From that day, until the day of his departure to his place, we could see, by his words and deeds, reason for a good hope about him. Now he was obedient, and was proficient in reading the word of God, and enthusiastic in proclaiming the word to others. He was the first fruit of the efforts of our brothers on the coast.

When he first went to Vishakhapatnam to confess his Faith in the savior, James Dawson was unwell but was alive. He (Purushotham) gave a good testimony about so many in his close circle. It appeared that it was not difficult to add some more to the flock of Jesus from among these people. We see a new dimension here. While we keep dying off one by one, not seeing even one (of the natives) turning to the Lord, lamenting that our efforts are in vain, there are those happy few, who not only seek the way of the Zion, acquire the saving knowledge through a gospel tract distributed by us. We toiled as laborers in our savior's vineyard. Unknown to us we created many means that led many to Christ. How great is this encouragement! How blessed is the proclamation! How joyful is such visitation! God knows how we can become fruitful, and accordingly he makes our success directly or indirectly as he finds it appropriate. All that we need to do is to leave our burden in his hands and move forward. We cannot imagine the bliss involved in such surrender. We are also looking at an intelligent young man who captured the truth of Christ through the tracts he received. Even without an opportunity to speak with any Christian, he could get all the knowledge and comfort he required in his new faith, just through the tracts he received. The results were marvelous. The young man is going to start preaching to his own countrymen. Through the grace shown to him, and the redemption granted him, he can be a guide many seekers, if he is steadfast in his faith. He left Cuttack on October 21st (1833) for his home state. I sent one Radhu to accompany him on his journey, as Purushotham was visiting seekers from his own family and many others from Berhampur. He (Purushotham) was extremely unhappy to part with the local Christians who have been close to him while in Cuttack. He was not an ordinary run of the mill type of Christian. He will be unusually helpful to all Telugus in the state and to the Coastal London Missionary Society." 2

A Priceless Gem As mentioned earlier, the Orissa General Baptist Missionary Society said the following on Page 20 of their report: "On close consideration of the London Missionary Society's missionary labor, they had God's blessing in which they could bring in Purushotham, who is as priceless as the gem in the mediatory crown of Lord Jesus. [report of the General Baptist Missionary Society 1834 P. 20]. Purushotham, as appeared from the preceding narrative is a gem added to the Savior's mediatory crown, by the divine blessing on the efforts of the London Missionary Society. The following facts were written covering the baptismal ceremony of Purushotham in the book entitled "Orissa, its Geography, History, Religion, and Antiquity." Biography Among those who joined the Church this year, 1833, the case of Purushotham from Vizag is encouraging. This is what is said in the society's report. "…Last year a good number of Hindus turned to Christ and started preaching and witnessing Christ facing all sorts of sorrow and suffering. Among them Purushotham was one. He appears to be the first of the labor of London Mission Society missionaries. This young man has demonstrated his wonderful conviction and witness. In the past, he was engrossed in blind rituals and idolatry. While he was still in those hateful practices, he had a spiritual prompting and awakening to seek the true Savior. He happened to receive a tract earlier, he read it and threw it away. Later he read three or four more. They showed him the means of redemption. After some experiences and searching, he decided to be Christ's disciple. The missionaries who initiated the quest in him died without witnessing the fruit of their labor. Through the help of Army officials, he was to be sent to Madras for getting baptized - about 400 KM away. What a pity that a Hindu, wanting to become Christian, cannot get in touch with a clergyman within 300 kilometers! A deplorable state of affairs! Shortage of Missionaries in India- how miserable!This zealous Hindu

described his experiences how the savior took care of him, before he could join his Christian friends"Lord Jesus in his unmerited grace looked upon me and helped me to grow in faith and wisdom, though this mortal body kept me in sin and darkness, and I was fighting against Satan's minions. But eventually I got the salvation from my great saviour. This way, God rescued me from these two types of enemies. On witnessing the inexplicable change in my faith, my close relations, my brother, mother, wife and friends started scoffing at me and hurting me. Some rebuked, some scolded, and some used sharp language. Some tried to keep me bound. Others teased me in several ways. However, I was given poise and wisdom to stand upright without fear and despair. All this was given to me by the One whom I recognized as divine master in whom I had full confidence and thereby deal with patience and peace who were persecuting me. I steadied and separated myself from those who were keen on hurting me. And I praise the Lord for his grace that kept me going, kept me safe from those trying to persecute me.3 While in the Christian fellowship in Cuttack, Purushotham wrote a hymn about his spiritual gratification. This was the first of his hymns written 100 years ago (from the time of writing this biography i.e. 1903). First Hymn About the Spiritual Experience I found a hiding place in my Jesus Christ- My soul ascended my great savior's peak 1. My sin was visited first- my heart confessed to all of them- my spirit lamented- a path found to dispel doubts. #I found# 2. My ears heard the good news- foolish doctrines left and fledI got the virtuous Christian intercourse- myriad gods turned into poison. #I found# 3. Faces of preachers of pain- turned away with great shame-folk tales and myths ran away- my spirit yearning for purityhastened to Jesus' feet #I found#

4. My heart found the deep mystery- boundless solid sin emptied away- Jesus gave his life as a favor-with his death destroyed heaps of my sin #I found# 5. Devious doctrine of caste and creed died- diabolic demon's chains loosened- exalted eternal peace of the cross bearer-came to roost in my core #I found# 6. Desire to change others into my state- out of love for my fellowsheart consecrated to God- changed soul found the heavens glory #I found# 7. Echoes and thuds of evil emotions- silenced and lost their charmdumb images crushed down- ways of all wisdom are but weak earthen pots- sinful thinking lost its footing #I found# From the second verse of the Hymn, "I got the virtuous Christian intercourse," we can understand that he wrote it while he was in Cuttack in fellowship with the Christians there. This was included in the Andhra Christian Hymnal as the Centenary hymn. Here is a song about Hindu God Rama written about 1820 while he was still a Hindu following all rituals of "Sandhyavandanam" (morning prayers), Gayatri chants and praising his favorite God." Kali Mohanti Deenabandhu Patha Naik, and Kali Mohanti Krishna Chandra Patha Naik used to sing this in Parlakimidi. Some of the stanzas are missing here. 1. Considered you my father O Rama- you are my only way- doing many rituals- in this human incarnation- I see no use. 2. Despite boundless hopes and empty expectations- not even a piece of thread will come with us in death- dear children and wife, hoarded riches- can they accompany in my eternal sleep? 3. Six bodily traits persecute me- you did not come to my rescueam I yours or not? - extreme mischievous child I - crave your abundant mercy. 4. Transcendent Srinivasa Varadacharya- trust in the succor of the teacher's feet and worship- and the teaching of the resident deity of Madanapuri

The uncertainty of salvation in this hymn and the assurance seen in the previous one, are strikingly in contrast and are noteworthy. Purushotham wrote this hymn having recognized the power behind Christ's sacrifice and the unimaginable impact of his resurrection. The readers should compare this with the other hymns written by Purushotham and set their lives straight. As said earlier Purushotham turned to Christ on 6th October 1833 in Cuttack, received the letter Rev Lacy wrote to Major Brett, and travelled for 20 days reaching Vishakhapatnam on 17th of the same year in the month of November. This date is supported by the letter written to me by Rev Young. The letter Rev T. Baily wrote to me, support the date of baptism as Oct 6th 1833. It was sheer providence that Purushotham, our ancestor, 100 years ago was wonderfully saved by Christ's redeeming work and received this exceptional and auspicious status. Let us now see how God used his unworthy servant in the wide and great ministry of the gospel in this country. 1. This copy of the Bible is now with the grandchildren of the author of this book in Kakinada. 2. See Orissa and its Geography Statistics History Religion and Antiquities by Andrew Sterling Esq; late Persian Secretary to the Bengal Government etc. P. 230. 3. Orissa, its Geography, Statistics…P. 230.