CATHOLIC SHRINES IN CHENNAI, INDIA: THE POLITICS OF RENEWAL AND APOSTOLIC LEGACY BY THOMAS CHARLES NAGY A thesis submitted to the Victoria University of Wellington in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Religious Studies Victoria University of Wellington (2014) Abstract This thesis investigates the phenomenon of Catholic renewal in India by focussing on various Roman Catholic churches and shrines located in Chennai, a large city in South India where activities concerning saintal revival and shrinal development have taken place in the recent past. The thesis tracks the changing local significance of St. Thomas the Apostle, who according to local legend, was martyred and buried in Chennai. In particular, it details the efforts of the Church hierarchy in Chennai to bring about a revival of devotion to St. Thomas. In doing this, it covers a wide range of issues pertinent to the study of contemporary Indian Christianity, such as Indian Catholic identity, Indian Christian indigeneity and Hindu nationalism, as well as the marketing of St. Thomas and Catholicism within South India. The thesis argues that the Roman Catholic renewal and ―revival‖ of St. Thomas in Chennai is largely a Church-driven hierarchal movement that was specifically initiated for the purpose of Catholic evangelization and missionization in India. Furthermore, it is clear that the local Church‘s strategy of shrinal development and marketing encompasses Catholic parishes and shrines throughout Chennai‘s metropolitan area, and thus, is not just limited to those sites associated with St. Thomas‘s Apostolic legacy. i Acknowledgements This thesis is dedicated to the memory of my father Richard M. Nagy who passed away roughly a year ago on December 7th, 2012. From an early age my father instilled in me the importance of education and inspired me to pursue my graduate studies. He served as my reader through several of the preliminary drafts of this thesis, and I believe he would have been proud of its final outcome. Thank you Dad! Of course, my thesis would not have been as robust a work if it were not for the guidance of my supervisor Dr. Rick Weiss. I met Dr. Weiss back in 2002 when he was a sabbatical replacement at Whitman College, my undergraduate alma mater. In 2008 I initiated a correspondence with Dr. Weiss inquiring about graduate schools outside the US. He promptly recruited me for Victoria‘s PhD programme and the rest is history. I am certain that without Dr. Weiss‘s involvement, comments, and candour this thesis would not have been anywhere near as competent as it is today. I would also like to thank my secondary-supervisor, Dr. Geoff Troughton, whose expertise and suggestions on my final drafts went a long way in improving the coherency of my work. A special thanks to my examination committee, which consisted of Dr. Joseph Bulbulia, Dr. Will Sweetman, and Dr. Joanne Waghorne, whose collected input helped to improve the quality of my thesis in its final form. I would like to extend my thanks to all my informants and acquaintances in India whose words and commentary helped to make this thesis a reality. I would especially like to thank Fr. Lawrence Raj who took time out of his busy schedule in order to talk with me. I am indebted to his insight, openness, and generosity. A final thanks to my friends and family who encouraged me all the way to the end, especially my mother, Linda Nagy, and my brothers Jeff and Will, I thank you for your patience. Additional thanks to Atsushi Iseki my eternal officemate for the last five years, and to my special angel Patricia Yee, who served as my reader for the final drafts of my thesis and who greatly helped in eliminating redundancies and streamlining it into a more cohesive whole. Her presence and assistance was undeniably the most significant factor towards the completion of this thesis! ii Table of Contents Abstract ...................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgements ................................................................................................... ii Table of Contents ..................................................................................................... iii List of Illustrations ................................................................................................... vi Chapter One: Context and Theory behind Recent Catholic Renewal in Chennai, Tamil Nadu ......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 General Introduction ................................................................................... 1 1.1.1 Key Themes ......................................................................................... 4 1.2 Introduction to Catholic Shrines in Chennai associated with St. Thomas ..... 6 1.2.1 Brief History of Catholic Revival at St. Thomas‘s Tomb .....................14 1.2.2 It Takes a Special Kind of Priest..........................................................16 1.2.3 Economic Context of Recent Revivals .................................................20 1.2.4 Theories of Contemporary Religious and Hindu Marketing Models ....22 1.2.5 Chennai and Heritage Preservation ......................................................26 1.3 Other Theoretical Considerations: Framing Post-post-colonialism, Popular Christianity, and Indigeneity .................................................................................27 1.4 Outline of Subsequent Thesis Chapters .......................................................36 1.4.1 Methodology and Final Thoughts ........................................................37 Chapter Two: Reviving the History of St. Thomas: Martyrdom and Burial as a New Myth of Origin for Indian Catholics in Chennai ........................................................40 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................40 2.2 St. Thomas Forgotten: the Apostle‘s Lack of Presence in Tamil Nadu ........41 2.2.1 Historical Factors in St. Thomas‘s Low Profile in Tamil Nadu ............43 2.2.2 Lack of Ethnic Communal Lineage in Tamil Nadu ..............................45 2.2.3 Other Popular Catholic Saints within Tamil Nadu‘s Religious Landscape ....................................................................................................47 2.3 New Revivalist Strategies at San Thome and Elsewhere: Recent Publications Concerning St. Thomas and his Martyr‘s Legacy ..................................................51 2.3.1 The Significance of St. Thomas Historicity .........................................52 2.3.2 Self-published Histories from the Three St. Thomas Shrines of Chennai ............................................................................................................55 2.3.3 San Thome‘s 2004 Renovation Souvenir Booklet ................................56 2.3.4 Song of India .......................................................................................61 2.3.5 S. J. Anthonysamy‘s A Saga of Faith ..................................................63 2.3.6 Voice of St. Thomas Magazine: Articles of Faith .................................66 2.3.7 Homilies and themes from the Feast of St. Thomas presented by VoST .. ............................................................................................................68 2.3.8 San Thome‘s Tourist Pamphlets: Local Legends in the Present Day ....73 2.3.9 Assessment of Initial Success ..............................................................79 2.4 Chapter Summary.......................................................................................80 Chapter Three: The Influences of Indian Political Ideologies on Catholic Revivalist Strategies in Chennai ................................................................................................82 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................82 iii 3.2 Hindu Nationalism: Political Entities and Ideologies ..................................83 3.2.1 The Origins of Hindutva and its Development as a Political Ideology ..84 3.2.2 Hindu Right Anti-Christian Rhetoric and Violence in India .................87 3.2.3 San Thome Responses to Anti-Christian violence in India ...................93 3.3 Sita Ram Goel and Ishwar Sharan: Arguments against St. Thomas .............97 3.3.1 Sharan and Goel‘s Contestation of St. Thomas‘s Martyrdom as Anti- Brahmanical ............................................................................................... 103 3.3.2 The Church in Chennai‘s handling of St. Thomas‘s Martyrdom and Responses to Accusations of Anti-Brahmanism .......................................... 107 3.3.3 The Church and Colonialism: Temple Destruction in Mylapore ........ 115 3.4 Chapter Summary..................................................................................... 120 Chapter Four: The Physical Renovation of San Thome Cathedral: Revival through Tourism, Branding, and Heritage Preservation........................................................ 122 4.1 Introduction .............................................................................................. 122 4.2 ―Religious Tourism‖ ................................................................................ 123 4.3 Faith Brands ............................................................................................