Eustachius Benedictus (Eustache Benoît) de Lannoy (also spelled "Lennoy" and sometimes called 'Captain De Lannoy') ( 1715 – 1 June 1777, Udayagiri Fort) was a Flemish naval commander of the Dutch East India Company, who was sent by the company to help establish a trading post at Colachel, Southern India, but was defeated at the Battle of Colachel by the Travancore army under Maharaja Marthanda Varma in 1741, and subsequently became a valiant and successful commander of the same foreign army that had defeated him. His role as military commander of the Travancore army was instrumental in the later military successes and exploits of Travancore under Marthanda Varma.

Depiction at Padmanabhapuram Palace of De Lannoy's Surrender at the Battle of Colachel

Battle of Colachel[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

In August 1741, de Lannoy arrived at the port of Colachel, near the southern tip of India, as commander of a naval fleet, sent by the Dutch East India Company, or Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC), with the objective of capturing Travancore from Marthanda Varma, the King who was not on friendly terms. It was the world's first Joint stock company and the largest multinational company at the time. It was a very rich corporation and had its own naval-fleet to protect its trade and maritime establishments.

The company was interested in acquiring and monopolizing the trade of pepper and other spices from the Malabar kingdoms, which was sold by it in the European markets at exorbitant prices. Earlier negotiations with the Travancore Government under the king Maharaja Marthanda Varma had proved futile, and it was thus decided to use military pressure to subdue the king since Marthanda Varma was bent on annexing the Kingdoms to the north of his country. The Dutch Governor of Ceylon had installed a Princess in a small northern kingdom called Elayidathu Swaroopam Kottarakkara against the wishes of Marthanda Varma, in spite of a severe warning issued by him to Van Imhoff, the Dutch Governor of Ceylon to look after their own affairs and not interfere in the affairs of that kingdom. An enraged Marthanda Varma attacked and annexed the kingdom, whereas the Princess escaped to Cochin and lived there under the protection of the Dutch. Van Imhoff wanted to teach Marthanda Varma a lesson. The Dutch were uneasy about the growing business and political clout of the English company who had a trading post and fort at Anjengo in Travancore. They assessed the situation and acted. It was with these intentions that a powerful Dutch naval force was dispatched from the nearest Dutch settlement of Galle in Ceylon.

Once the Dutch-men arrived at Colachel they came ashore and initially took over the lands from Colachel to Kottar near Nagercoil including the rich village of Eraniel, where the original palace of the Travancore Dynasty was situated. Their next aim was to proceed to capture Kalkulam, the capital. But soon the Travancore forces arrived under the direct command of Marthanda Varma and his Minister and Commander of the army Ramayyan Dalawa. Captain de Lannoy’s military contingent was superior in that, it had firearms and was better equipped, but was no match to the tactics and aggressiveness used by the Travancore forces at the Battle of Colachel. Further the Dutch were helpless against the cavalry of Travancore. This battle is important as it marked the decline of Dutch influence in India. From then onwards, the Dutch Company was confined to the role of a trading company. Prior to this defeat, the Dutch had been interfering in all the domestic disputes of the local Royal houses and trying to amass power. They had their representatives in almost all the kingdoms of Malabar as advisors to the rulers.

Captain de Lannoy and twenty-four other Dutchmen were taken prisoners, while the rest of the Dutchmen either retreated to their ships or were killed. Donadi, de Lannoy’s lieutenant was also captured.

Appointment as a Travancore Army Commander[link]

The Dutch prisoners expressed their willingness to serve the Maharaja of Travancore. De Lannoy was entrusted with the job of training a Regiment of the army in European tactics of war and discipline. Captain de Lannoy performed this task to the entire satisfaction of Marthanda Varma and the Maharaja appointed him as one of his Generals. Donadi also was given a high military post.

de Lannoy organized the Travancore army on European lines, introduced gun-powder and firearms, hitherto not used in the kingdom, and increased the regiments and improved defence fortifications. In the process, he earned the trust of the king, who conferred many privileges on him. De Lannoy was a skilled military strategist, and together with the tactics of the Dewan of Travancore, Ramayyan Dalawa, and statesmanship of the king Maharaja Marthanda Varma the combined skills of the threesome proved very effective in the future military exploitations and annexations of the Northern kingdoms up to Cochin over a period of time and in the defeat and annexation of Quilon, Kayankulam, Kottarakkara, Pandalam, Ambalapuzha, Edappalli, Thekkumkoor and Vadakkumkoor with Travancore.

Forts built under De Lennoy’s supervision[link]

de Lannoy built the Nedumkotta, a line of fortifications in the North of the Kingdom, known as the Travancore Lines, with help from Thachil Matthoo Tharakan. This fortification proved immensely useful in defending the kingdom against the attacks of Tipu Sultan and other marauders. It was erased by Tipu Sultan in an act of revenge for having defeated his attempt to subdue Travancore in 1789. It had a length of 40 km and extended from the sea near Vypeen Island to the Ghats. Just before returning to Mysore after his failed attempt, he spent six days to demolish the Lines which he called 'the Contemptible Wall'. He had sworn to demolish it earlier after his failed attempt to breach it on December 28, 1789, and lost 2000 soldiers in that single night, due to the spirited defence by just 20 Nair soldiers of Travancore.

Many other forts like the Vattakottai Fort facing the sea near Kanyakumari, the Savakkotta, and the Marunnu Kotta or Ammunition fort, both being hill-forts near Padmanabhapuram, were built under de Lannoy’s supervision. Udayagiri Fort, very close to the fortified capital of Padmanabhapuram, was a military training centre and barracks. Originally a mud-fort, it was re-built as a stone fort as per the design of one Thykattu Namboothiri prior to the Battle of Colachel and de Lannoy who was imprisoned there was later allowed to reside there with his family and a church was built for him inside, by the King. The fort had a big foundry and different types of weapons including cannons and ammunition were manufactured there.

De Lannoy is also credited with the erection of some other small forts and tunnels.

De Lannoy's Tomb at Udayagiri Fort on the Kanyakumari-Trivandrum highway.

De Lannoy's burial site at the tomb at Udayagiri Fort, with inscriptions in Latin and Tamil.

Life at Udayagiri and later years[link]

As a Christian, de Lannoy was prohibited from entering the king’s palace at Padmanabhapuram and he resided primarily at Udayagiri Fort, or De Lannoy Kotta (de Lannoy’s Fort) as it is locally called, where he also built a small chapel for his family and other Christians.

Captain de Lannoy’s military skills and loyalty were recognised not only by the king and the state officials, but also by the subjects of Travancore, who called him by the nom de guerre ‘Valiya Kappithaan’ meaning 'The Great Captain'.

At some point of his military career, de Lannoy got well acquainted with Neelakanta Pillai, a Nair palace official, who after learning of Christian traditions and beliefs through de Lannoy, converted to Christianity. Neelankanta Pillai took the baptised name of Devasahayam Pillai.

Maharaja Martanda Varma died in 1758, and de Lannoy served as military chief to his successor Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma till his death.

De Lannoy died in AD 1777 and was interred in the chapel within the Udayagiri fort. His tomb was inscribed with the following words: "Stop wayfarer! Here lieth Eustace Benedict de Lannoy, who as the General -in-Chief of the troops of Travancore was in command and during about 37 years served the king with the utmost fidelity. By the might of his arms and the fea(of his name), he subjected to his (the king's) sway all the kingdom from Kayanglam to Cochin. He lived 62 years and 5 months and died on the 1st of June(of the year) 1777. May he rest in peace."

Relevant places of interest[link]

• de Lannoy’s tomb is found at Udayagiri fort, which is on the present-day Nagercoil – Trivandrum highway, near Thuckalay. Udayagiri fort is now also a Bio-diversity Park maintained by the Department of Forests, Kanyakumari division.

• Padmanabhapuram, the capital of Travancore during the time of Marthanda Varma, is close to Udayagiri fort, near Thuckalay.

• Colachel, where de Lannoy first landed as Commander of the Dutch fleet is a seaport in present day Kanyakumari District. There's a War-Memorial commemorating the victory over the Dutch.

• Vattakottai Fort (or Circular fort) is a seaside fort, very close to Kanyakumari, the southern tip of Peninsular India.

• Thovala Fort; near Aramboly about 10 km from Nagercoil on the Nagercoil-Tirunelveli High-way, the remains of the Eastern Defence Line of Travancore, a continuous fort between two mountains i.e. Thaekku Mala (Teak Mountain) on the south and Thadaka Mala on the north, blocking the famous Aramboly Pass can be seen. It was demolished by the British in the 1800s. Beyond Thaekku Mala, the Line extends South up to the sea-shore in Cape Commorin, the last few kilometers being protected by Bastions for one or two cannons situate 100 metres apart.

References[link]

M. DE LANNOY, "Een Zuidnederlander in dienst van de Radja van Travancore : Eustache Benoît de Lannoy (1715-1777)", in C. KONINCKX ed. Vlamingen overzee. Flamands en outre-mer. Flemings overseas, Brussels: Paleis der Academiën (Koninklijke Academie voor Wetenschappen, Letteren en Schone Kunsten van België, Wetenschappelijk comité voor maritieme geschiedenis), Collectanea Maritima no. 6, 1995; M. DE LANNOY, "European soldiers in the service of Travancore in the eighteenth century", in J. EVERAERT & J. PARMENTIER eds International Conference on Shipping, Factories and Colonization (Brussels, 24-26 November 1994), Brussels: Paleis der Academiën (Koninklijke Academie voor Wetenschappen, Letteren en Schone Kunsten van België, Wetenschappelijk comité voor maritieme geschiedenis), Verhandelingen van de Koninklijke Academie voor Wetenschappen, Letteren en Schone Kunsten van België, Speciale Uitgaven no. 37, 1996; M. DE LANNOY, The Kulasekhara Perumals of Travancore. History and State Formation in Travancore from 1671 to 1758, Leiden: University of Leiden, CNWS publications No. 58, 1997. Travancore Archaeological series Vol VI, A.S. Ramanatha Ayyar Cultural Publications Department 2003.

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Devasahayam Pillai was an 18th century convert from Hinduism to Christianity in the southern part of India. He was an official in the court of the Travancore king Maharaja Marthanda Varma,^[1] during which time he came under the influence of the Dutch naval commander, Captain Eustachius De Lannoy.

He is believed by Roman Catholics to have been martyred.^[1] In 2004, the Tamil Nadu branch of the Catholic Bishops' Council in India recommended Devasahayam Pillai for the process of beatification to the Vatican.^[2] This led to arguments as some Hindus believe that there is no evidence of religious persecution in Travancore during that period, and that Pillai was executed for sedition.^[3]

Account of his life as given by Roman Catholic devotees[link]

Early life[link]

Devasahayam Pillai (named Neelakanda Pillai at birth)^[1] was born into an affluent Nair-caste family at Nattalam in the present-day Kanyakumari District, on 23 April 1712.^[4] His father Vasudevan Namboodiri, hailed from Kayamkulam, in present-day Kerala state, and was working as a priest at Sri Adi Kesava Perumal temple in Thiruvattar in present-day Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. His mother Devaki Amma was hailing from Thiruvattar in Kanyakumari district. In the Nair matriarchal traditions of the day, Devasahayam Pillai was raised-up by his maternal uncle, and was inculcated with Hindu beliefs and traditions early on.

Devasahayam’s family had much influence in the royal palace of Maharaja Marthanda Varma, king of Travancore, and Devasahayam went into the service of the royal palace as a young man.^[5]:12 His capabilities and enthusiasm did not go unnoticed in the palace, as he was soon put in charge of state affairs as an official under Ramayyan Dalawa, the Dewan of Travancore.^[6]:55-56

Conversion to Christianity[link]

In 1741, Captain Eustachius De Lannoy, a Dutch naval commander, was sent on command of a Dutch naval expedition by the Dutch East India Company to capture Colachel, a port under the control of Travancore, and establish a trading post there. In the battle (Battle of Colachel) that followed between the Travancore forces and De Lannoy’s men, the Dutchmen were vanquished. Many Dutchmen, including De Lannoy and his assistant Donadi, were taken as prisoners, while the rest either ran away or were killed.

De Lannoy and the Dutchmen were later pardoned by the king, on condition that they serve in the Travancore army. De Lannoy later earned the trust of the king and went on to become the commander of the Travancore armed forces, winning many battles and annexing various adjacent territories to Travancore.

It was during their influential roles under the King of Travancore that Devasahayam Pillai and De Lannoy became well acquainted. De Lannoy’s Christian faith interested Devasahayam and De Lannoy enlightened him on the faith, leading to his conversion in 1745.^[1]

Baptism[link]

On Devasahayam’s acceptance of the Christian faith, he was baptized at the church at Vadakkankulam village (in the present Tirunelveli District of Tamil Nadu), where the Jesuits had a mission under Rev. Fr. R. Bouttari Italus S.J.^[7]:281 Neelakanda Pillai, his name at birth, was then changed to Lazar, although he is more widely known by the Tamil & Malayalam translation Devasahayam (meaning God's help).^[8] Pillai was married^[1] by this time to Bargavi Ammal of Travancore. She was also persuaded and converted to Christianity by her husband. His wife was given the baptismal name of Gnanapoo Ammaal (equivalent to Theresa in Tamil & Malayalam). Fearing reprisal in Travancore against her religious conversion, she chose to be a migrated-resident of this village. Some of Devasahayam Pillai's immediate family members also received baptism later after being converted to Christianity.^[6]:68-69

Orders based on accusations and charges[link]

Roman Catholic sources allege that the Brahmin chief priest of the kingdom and members of the royal household and the Nair community brought false charges on Devasahayam to the Dewan, Ramayyan Dalawa,^[7]:282 and that Devasahayam was divested of his portfolio in the administration and was later accused of treason and of divulging state secrets to rivals and Europeans. He was initially ordered to be taken on a buffalo to Kuzhumaikkad, where he would be executed and finished-off.^{[5]:41-42 [9]} But the original Royal order was altered later several times to finally to be taken on a buffalo back to Aralvaimozhy border for a meaningful punishment of banishment after carrying out a series of tortures by ten different karyakkars on the advice of ministers.^[5]:42-65

Other traditions and beliefs[link]

Devasahayam was marched to Aralvaimozhy by soldiers, over the period of a few days. As was customary in those days for very cruel criminals, his body was painted with red and black spots, and he was intentionally marched through populated areas, sitting backward on top of a water buffalo^{[7]:283 [10]} (the mythical vehicle or vahana of Yama, the lord of death in Hinduism) throughout South Travancore from Padmanabhapuram palace. On the way en-route, he was daily beaten with eighty stripes, pepper rubbed in his wounds and nostrils, exposed to the sun, and given only stagnant water to drink.^[10]

While halting at Puliyoorkurichi, not far away from the Padmanabhapuram Palace of the Travancore king, it is believed by Christians that God quenched his thirst by letting water gush through a small hole on a rock, the very place where he knelt to pray. The water hole is still to be found in the compound of a church at Puliyoorkurichi, about 15 km from Nagercoil.^{[5]:54 [7]:285}

It is also believed that the leaves of a neem (Margosa) tree in the village of Peruvilai, to which he had been tied while being marched to Aralvaimozhy, cured illnesses of sick people in the village and around. Many more miracles are attributed to Devasahayam Pillai.^[7]:286

Death[link]

In 1752, the original order of the King and his Dewan was to deport him from Travancore, into the Pandya country, at Aralvaimozhy. He was let off in the forested hills near Aralvaimozhy. There, he is believed to have begun deep meditations, and the people from the adjacent villages began visiting the holy man. Christian sources allege that at this time, high caste Hindus plotted to do away with Devasahayam.^[6]:134

Some people believe that the soldiers went up the forested hills and tried to shoot Devasahayam, but were unable to fire; after which he took the gun in his hands, blessed it and gave it back to the soldiers to shoot him to death, if they wished to. The soldiers took the gun back and fired at him five times. His body was then carelessly thrown out near the foothills at Kattadimalai.^{[7]:285 [11]:83}

It was at Kattadimali in Kanyakumari district that Devasahayam Pillai died on 14 January 1752.^[1] His mortal remains were interred near the altar inside St. Xavier's church, Kottar, which is a Cathedral now in Nagercoil.^[7]:285

Canonization efforts[link]

According to the report submitted by the then Bishop of Cochin (under whom Kanyakumari church was then functioning) in 1756 CE, the Christian martyrdom of Devasahayam Pillai was promptly intimated to Vatican. Prominent witnesses to his saintliness and martyrdom include Paremmakkal Thoma Kathanar.^[12]

In 1780, Kariattil Ouseph Malpan submitted a petition to the Vatican for canonization of Devasahayam Pillai.^[11]:94-96

The church historian C. M. Agur concluded in 1903 that although apostasy was never considered illegal in Travancore, it was not viewed indifferently, particularly in the case of the King's palace servants, and this led to the martyrdom of Devasahayam Pillai.^[7]:285

In 1984, a group of laymen once again took the initiative to seek the beatification of Devasahayam.^[13] This is unusual for a layman,^[1] but he is regarded as one who was totally devoted to Christ.^[2] At the beginning of the 21st century, many Christian devotees started offering prayers at his tomb.^[2]

After a series of initiatives and much deliberation, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), Tamil Nadu council, later in 2004, duly recommended his beatification, following scrutiny of available historical evidence, in consultation with others.^[2] Bishop Chrysostom said that the CBCI did not intend any controversy whatsoever in moving this forward.^[2]

However, Professor A. Sreedhara Menon, a noted historian and writer on Travancore, said that no cases of persecution in the name of religious conversion were recorded in the history of the kingdom.^[3] P. Parameswaran, president of the Hindu spiritual organisation Vivekananda Kendra, accused the CBCI of an attempt to hurt Hindu sentiments. Referring to the Travancore state manual, he insisted that Devasahayam was a palace employee who was executed after confirmation of sedition, because he had tampered with palace records and passed them to De Lannoy.^[3]

Places of interest[link]

Devasahyam Pillai is believed to be buried in the Cathedral of St. Francis Xavier at Kottar in Nagercoil.^[1]

Devasahyam Pillai’s clothes and other belongings are kept in a church in the small town of Vadakkankulam in Tirunelveli District of Tamil Nadu State, India. They are exposed at the church on 15 August every year, the feast of the Assumption of Mary. His wife was buried in the cemetery there.

Puliyoorkurichi, location of the water fountain believed to have quenched Devasahayam’s thirst, is on the Nagercoil – Trivandrum highway.

Aralvaimozhy, where Devasahayam was killed, is also on the Nagercoil – Tirunelveli highway. At that spot on the hillock (called Kaattadimalai), devotees believe that rocks fell and were broken at that moment. One rock at the place makes bell-like sounds when knocked with a stone.

See also[link]

Catholicism portal

• Servant of God
• List of Servants of God

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Leita, Clement Joseph C. Martyrdom of Devasahayam. An Extract from the Report submitted to Pope Benedict XIV on the occasion of the Ad Limina Visit by Most Rev. Clement Joseph C. Leita, S.J., Bishop of Cochin, 15 November 1756. Canonization Committee, Diocese of Kottar, 2009.
• National Symposium on Devasahayam Pillai. Department of History and Tourism & Historical Commission for the Cause of Martyr Devasahayam. Nagarkoil, 2008.
• Mathavadiyan, A. Devasahayampilla Charthram. [Malayam. History of Devasahayam Pilla.] Trivandrum: City Press, 2006.
• Ferroli, D. Jesuits in Malabar. Vol. II. Bangalore, 1951.
• Ibrahim Kunhu, A.P. Marthanda Varma: The Rise of Modern Travancore. [Malayalam.] Thiruvananthapuram: Cultural Publications Department, Govt. of Kerala, 2005.
• Kottukapally, Joseph. “Devasahayam Pilla: Convert, Apostle, Revolutionary, Martir [sic], I.” Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection 76/1 (2012) 27-42.
• Kottukapally, Joseph. “Devasahayam Pilla: Convert, Apostle, Revolutionary, Martyr, II.” Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection 76/2 (2012) 108-120.
• Antonimuthu, Amalagiri. Viswaa Deepam. Daivadasan Devasahayam Pilla. 3rd ed. [Malayalam translation of Tamil original.] Nagarkoil.
• Narchison, Rosario J. Martyr Devasahayam. A Documented History. Nagarcoil: Canonization Committee, 2009.

External links[link]

• Bibliography at Catholic site, http://www.MartyrDevasagayam.org
• Devasahayam (Lazar) Pillai