Kadamattom Church
Kadamattom Church
St. George Malankara Orthodox Church, Kadamattom, is an ancient Christian church situated atop a small hill near the Ernakulam-Muvattupuzha road in Aikkaranad Panchayat, near Kolenchery in Ernakulam district. It is believed to have been founded in the ninth century by the Persian saint Mar Sabor (Mar Abo). The land and the construction of the church were made possible with the help and as a gift of the Karthakkanmar, the local rulers of that time.
The stories of Kadamattathu Kathanar, a priest with magical powers who is famous in Kerala folklore and in Kottarathil Sankunni's Aithihyamala, are interwoven with the history of this church. It is believed that a boy named Paulose, who grew up with Mar Sabor, later became a priest and came to be known as Kadamattathu Kathanar.
The Pathalakkinar (well of the netherworld), near the "Poyedam Church" to the east of the church, is a major part of these stories. According to the legend, the Kathanar invoked a yakshi named 'Kallyattu Chathan' and confined her in this well, and placed a large stone cross on top so that she could not escape. The name 'Pathalakkinar' comes from the belief that this bottomless well leads down to the netherworld.
