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SOME OF THE TROPHIES CANADIAN BAPTIST FOREIGN MISSION BOARD JUBILEE VOLUME TELUGU TROPHIES The Jubilee "StoVy cf some of ths principal - - Telugu converts in the Canadian Baptist Foreign Mission in India from 1874 to 1924 Editorial Committee-. REV. JOHN CRAIG DR. J. R. STILLWELL MRS. I. C. ARCHIBALD, MISS A. E. RASKERVILLE Published for THE CANADIAN BAPTIST FOREIGN MISSION BOARD- By D. E. HATT Manager, Canadian Branch, THE AMERICAN BAPTIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY 223 Church Street, Toronto, Canada CONTENTS PART I. GODAVARI ASSOCIATION TROPHIES. PAGE; 1. PASTOR THOMAS GABRIEL --..--. 7 2. PASTORS JOSIAH AND JONATHAN BURDER 12 3. BEERA MIRIAM ---------- 20 4. REV. NICODEMUS ABRAHAM - - - - - - 25 5. PASTOR MULUGU JAGANNAIKULU - - - - - - 31 6. PASTOR TULURI CORNELIUS - - - - - - 35 7. CORNELIUS' AUNT MARTHA ------- 39 8. DR. DUNDI LUKE JOSHEE ------- 42 9. FOUR WOMEN OF RAM'ACHANDRAPURAM FIELD - - - 51 10. THREE PASTORS OP RAMACHANDRAPURAM FIELD - - 58 11. MR. CHETTI BHANUMURTI ------- 66 PART II.-NORTHERN ASSOCIATION TROPHIES. 1. MR. BHAGAVAN BEHARA -------- 61) 2. MAKOVALI SEETARAMIAH AND SURAMMA 72 3. GURAHATl AND HARRIAMMA ------- 77 4. BALLA GURANA AND His SON BASAVANNA - - - 84: 5. PIONEER HELPERS AT BOBBILI ------ 91 6. SAVARA GUMANNA ------.-- - 95 7. MR. N. D. ABEL --------- 99 8. MR. SOMALINGAM AND MR. APPALANARASIMHUI/T - 102 9. MR. KESAVARAYA SARMA MANDAPAKA - 107 10. DAVID AND LIZZIE - - - - - - - -111 11. BOKKA SUBBARAIDU - - - - - - - - IKj 12. PANGA APPANNA --------- 122 PART III. KISTNA ASSOCIATION TROPHIES. 1. THE KARRE BROTHERS - 127 2. ADDEPALLE MARIAMMA ------- 133 3. PANTAGANI ANNA AND CHINNA SAMUEL - - - - 138 4. KUCHIPUDI YAKOB - - - - - - - - 141 " 5. PASTOR PANTAGANI PEDDA SAMUEL - - - - - 144 6. Two PASTORS OP AKIDU ------- 149 7. REV. TODETI ABRAHAM, AVANIGADDA - 156 8. PULAVARTI SAMUEL AND PASALA RATNAM - - - 161 PART IV. THE PIONEERS. 1. PASTOR DAS ANTHRAVADY - - - - - - - 165 2. CHOWDHARI PURUSHOTTAM 170 1 *"''' : fl i 'rt: a < EDITOR'S PREFACE The attention of the reader is called to the steps by which, in God's providence, Canadian Baptists were led to the Telugus. Mr. D. Anthravady, who was pastor of a church in a Telugu regiment, was at a station of the English Baptist Mission, when he came into the light, but he joined the London Mission at Vizagapatam. A few years later a Major-General showed him from the Bible that he ought to be immersed, so the church in the regiment soon became a Baptist church. Mr. Anthravady met Mr. Thomas Gabriel in Madras, and taught him about baptism. Later he met also Mr. Josiah Burder, and taught him. Moreover, largely through Mr. Anthravady's work, a beginning was made at Akulatampara near Parlakimedi, and some useful workers were raised up. Mr. Puru- shottam also had a share in this. The story of his life tells why he was baptized in the English Baptist Mis- sions. At the other end of our Mission field near the Kistna river, we should notice that Kodali Samuel, one of the first baptized at Vuyyuru, was the means of bringing latter Kuchipudi Yakobu into the light, and the passed on the good news to Todeti Abraham. Read the stories of their lives. JOHN CRAIG. INTRODUCTION is com- S the title implies, "Telugu Trophies" posed of the brief histories of the conversion and careers of a number of Telugu men and found women who, during the last fifty years, have Christ in the Canadian Baptist Mission in India. They have been and are leaders among their own folk not but also merely because of natural gifts and training in not infrequently on account of their pre-eminence chosen the suffering for His sake. They have been by missionaries who know them best and who, in many instances, aided them to win the battle over tempta- tion and sin chosen from a multitude of saved who, including those who have fallen on sleep during the half century, can scarcely be less than twenty-five thousand. It is fitting that in the commemoration of the Jubilee of Canadian Baptist Missions in India their experiences should be recounted, for the glory of His Name and the encouragement of His followers. "Telugu Trophies" will assuredly quicken and strengthen faith in the power of the Gospel unto salva- tion and in the keeping power of that Christ out of Whose hand no one can pluck His sheep. Further, He who can win, against such fearful odds, the passion- ate and abiding loyalty that is again and again recorded in these pages cannot fail ultimately to draw the Telugu race unto Himself. H. E. STILLWELL, General Secretary, Canadian Baptist Foreign Mission Board. m ^5 10 c . ra 125 ErE O) rt (0 . " . 3 ._ ^ C E . "tl CO > i? i: < -3 < _ Sujto S *" ^u . PART I. TELUGU TROPHIES From the GODAVARI ASSOCIATION PASTOR THOMAS GABRIEL. BY REV. JOHN CRAIG. The name of Thomas Gabriel should be known and honored by the Baptists of Canada. It was his appeal that led the Foreign Mission Society of Ontario and Quebec to send Rev. John McLaurin and Mrs. Mc- Laurin to Cocanada in 1874. Thomas Gabriel was born on December I5th, 1837, at Masulipatam, a seaport about twenty-four miles from Vuyyuru. Afterwards his parents lived for two years at Narsapur, twenty-four miles east of Akidu, and then removed to Rajahmundry on the Godavari river. Thomas was about ten years old at this time. He had attended a mission school while at Narsapur, and he went to a mission school at Rajahmundry, which he continued to attend till 1855, when he was eighteen years of age. Two years later he secured employment as a clerk in the Government Telegraph Office at Dowlaishwaram about four miles south of Rajahmun- dry. Having a great desire to learn telegraphy he paid a young man to teach him the alphabet, and then bought a dummy, on which he practised day and night till he 8 TELUGU TROPHIES mastered the art. His diligence was soon observed and rewarded. When Mr. Gabriel was about twenty-three years of age he became a Christian, and was received into the Lutheran Church. In 1865 ne was transferred to the Office at Cocanada. Telegraph , About this time his father and mother became Chris- tians, and took the name "Gabriel," which their son had taken when he became a Christian, his name having been Taleru Marayya. Mr. Thomas Gabriel's mother was a sister of the father of the Karre brothers of Gunnana- pudi so that he and they were first cousins. Then he married their sister and the eldest of the Karre brothers married his sister, who is still living near Gunnanapudi. While Mr. Gabriel was still employed in Dowlaishwaram he visited .his relatives at Gunnanapudi and Mr. Karre Samuel and his wife visited Mr. Gabriel at Dowlaish- waram, and decided to become Christians. Mr. Gabriel was in the Telegraph Office at Nilapalli near Yanam for a year, after which he was sent back to Cocanada. About 1867 he was ordered to go to Bom- bay, but while in Madras on his way there he fell ill and was sent to the hospital, where he was visited by an earnest Christian, Mr. Das Anthravady, who was a Baptist. Not unnaturally, the subject of baptism came up in their conversation, the result being that Mr. Gabriel was convinced that he should be immersed. Another man having been sent to Bombay, Mr. Gab- riel returned to Cocanada. He seems to have under- gone a complete spiritual change by his contact with Mr. Anthravady. He felt that he had been in bondage to the law before that. He began to speak to everyone about salvation through faith in Christ, and confession of faith in baptism. His superiors objected to his PASTOR THOMAS GABRIEL so much hence he his in the preaching ; resigned position Telegraph service in January, 1869, leaving a salary of seventy rupees a month with a prospect of a consider- able increase and a good pension on retirement. He worked in connection with the Godavari Delta Mission, making the Kolair Lake region the chief field of his labors. In 1870 his views changed in regard to some points of church order, and he separated from the above mission, and opened a tannery at Cocanada for the sup- port of his family and some preachers and teachers who were working with him. The tannery was not a success, so when Mr. Gabriel had used up all his private means, he found it neces- sary in 1871 to seek help, and went to Madras to offer his mission to the Strict Baptists of England through their agent Mr. Doll. He was not acquainted with any American or Canadian Baptist Missionaries when he set out for Madras, but on his way to that city he halted over Sunday at Ramapatnam and met Messrs. Timpany and McLaurin. The latter, writing on August 24th about Mr. Gabriel's visit, said, "He preached on Sunday from Isaiah 55: i. It was peculiarly refresh- ing to hear him talk of the impossibility of earthly things satisfying a thirsty soul, and of the full satisfaction re- ceived through faith in Christ." Mr. Gabriel was not successful in his search for help, and hence on his return to Cocanada he reopened the tannery, which had been closed before he left for Madras. He continued to correspond with Messrs. Timpany and McLaurin, who helped him not only with advice, but also with gifts of money. Mr. Gabriel was ordained while in Madras; so in March, 1872, when he made a tour in the Kolair Lake io TELUGU TROPHIES region, he baptized some converts at Chinnamilli, four miles north of Akidu and others at Gunnanapudi, about twenty miles southwest of that station, and since 1875 the headquarters of a church.

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