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From Tibet to Bettiah... By BHARAT PUTRA
It must have been a proud moment for the Catholic Church when the
foundation
stone for the St. Peter's Church was laid on the "roof of the world" on
July
29. The Press note issued by the Catholic Bishops Conference of India
(CBCI)
did not mention the exact place where the church would come up. Laying
the
foundation stone, Bishop Peter Celestine of the Jammu-Srinagar diocese
said,
"This is going to be the first church on the "roof of the world",
11,550
feet above the sea level and the Lord will be proclaimed, not just from
the
housetop but from the top of the world."
The Ladakh-Leh region where the event took place has a small
Christian population of 15,000 in a total population of 10 million. As
I
read the report, I wondered whether the Press note was right in
describing
the place as the "roof of the world" when the sobriquet belongs to
Tibet.
Readers may find that too trifling a matter to deserve mention in this
column. While that is excusable, the claim that it will be the first
church
on the "roof of the world" is unacceptable. More so when the claim is
made
by a bishop who belongs to the Capuchin order.
Readers' attention is directed to this paragraph, "The Feast of St.
Francis
of Assissi, the 4th October, 1726, (which by the way also marked the
Fifth
Centenary of the death of this great Saint) was fixed for the solemn
blessing of the chapel and the official opening of the Friary. It was a
grand occasion. On that day, the Fathers had the joy of saying the
first
Mass in that little chapel, dedicated to the Assumption of Our Lady, in
the
presence of eleven neophytes, mostly Newari, natives of Nepal. Mingled
feelings of joy, thanksgiving and hope must have filled the heart of
the
small congregation as the Prefect Apostolic went up the altar to offer
the
Sacrifice of the Mass in the first and only temple ever erected to the
true
living God atop the roof of the world". (The Bell of Lhasa by Fr
Fulgentius
Vannini, Published by Capuchin Ashram, Agra, Pages 473)
The Capuchin missionaries left the uplands of Tibet a long time ago.
Nothing now remains to remind a casual traveller of the great
missionaries
who, in obedience to the command of Christ "to go and preach gospel to
all
nations" penetrated the very depths of the Forbidden City to preach the
good
news, and of their toil and sufferings there, except a lonely bell. If
it
could speak, it would reveal the fate of those poor Christians who were
left
behind. It is the one solitary witness, over the years, to see the rise
and
fall of Tibet. It is still there, like a forlorn child, waiting for
the
return of the loved ones. It will be a serious omission if we forget
that
bell and all that it exemplifies.
Vannini's book is a must for all those who want to know about the 10
expeditions the Vatican sent to Tibet in the 18th century, first to
establish contact with the "lost tribe" of Christians and then to
establish
Christianity on the roof of the world. When the book was published in
1976,
it rebutted the affirmation of a mission historiographer who said about
the
Tibet mission, "That mission had, of Tibet, only the name. It was in
reality
the mission of Patna in charge of Capuchins, none of whom ever set foot
in
Tibet".
The Italian Capuchin who did pioneering research work found out that
Fr
Horace Olivieri of Pennabili not only reached Tibet but also worked in
ways
that have much to teach modern-day missionaries. He brought to Lhasa a
complete printing press of Tibetan character, established friendship
with
the Regent of Tibet, received into the church a number of catechumens,
faced
persecution and finally quit Tibet ending the great mission in 1745. In
10
expeditions, 49 missionaries were sent, some of whom did not even reach
Tibet having died on the way or were forced to return. Nonetheless,
they
remain in the church records "Tibetan missionaries".
Today it takes only a few hours to cover the distance between Rome and
Tibet
but when the first expedition was sent out in 1704, it took them three
years
to cover the same distance when they followed the "overland route" to
India.
Church historians may describe the Tibetan mission as a failure. After
nearly 40 years of labour by one of the most sincere, talented and
enterprising missionaries, all that remained of the mission were a
handful
of Christians. But then one of them succeeded in planting Christianity
in
Bihar, at a place called Bettiah in the erstwhile Champaran district.
The
Christians of Bettiah consider themselves the oldest Christians of
Bihar. It
is perhaps the only town in Bihar which has a modicum of Christian
culture.
The Christians are not large - just 4,000 or so as I was told when I
visited
the town a decade ago - but their influence, particularly in the field
of
education is substantial. It has produced church leaders of the
eminence of
the present Patna bishop. Bettiah Christians are today all over the
world.
Their story is as fascinating as any other community's. Now let us scan
the
pages of the Bell of Lhasa.
It was a disease that first brought Christianity to Bettiah, which
derives
its name from its famous cane (bent) wealth. Bettiah was then ruled by
Raja
Dhurup Singh, a Bhumihar whose forefathers got the title of Raja from
Emperor Shahjehan (1628-58). The Raja came in contact with the Italian
priest, Fr Joseph Mary Bernini, when the latter was in Patna prior to
taking up his assignment in Tibet. The ruler had heard about the
medical
abilities of the priest and, therefore, when he fell ill, he rushed to
Patna
to meet the priest.
Fr Bernini won the Raja's heart when he successfully treated him.
Impressed
by his skill and knowledge, he invited the priest to Bettiah where he
promised him generous hospitality. But how could the priest accept the
invitation except with the express permission of the Holy Father? He
politely refused to go to Bettiah. A few months later, Fr Bernini, was
transferred to Lhasa where he did yeoman medical service. But the Raja
did
not leave the matter at that. He wrote to the Pope asking him to grant
permission to the Capuchins to establish a station at Bettiah.
The Raja was very keen to have his service because Fr Bernini
had a
few months before his departure for Lhasa, visited Bettiah and cured
his
wife of a serious illness. The times were not good for the missionaries
in
Tibet. Their mission in Lhasa stood threatened by the Tibetans who,
incited
by the Lamas, were determined to drive out the missionaries. A stage
came
when the missionaries had to retreat from Tibet in the face of violent
opposition from the local people and the government which came down
heavily
upon the converts who were given 20 lashes each at a public place. The
question that arose before the priest was, where to go? Fortunately for
them, they got permission from Rome to open a mission in Bettiah. Fr
Bernini
was assigned the job. He reached Bettiah on December 7, 1745, and the
Raja
allotted him a house with a garden near his palace and allowed him to
preach
and make converts. He carried on his work till his death. He had the
assistance of one Michael, a Nepali citizen, who had embraced
Christianity
while in Lhasa.
When the English took Bettiah in1766, Sir Robert Barker, who
was in
command of the forces, assigned the mission about 60 bighas of land in
the
fort and also a plot of land outside Bettiah called the Dasaiya Padri,
extending over 200 bighas for the support of the missionaries and their
Christian converts. These grants were approved and renewed by the
Governor-General in Council in Calcutta in 1786. The mission is still
in
possession of most of the land. When the Capuchins left Bettiah, their
place
was taken by the Jesuits, who now manage the mission.
In the meantime, following the death of Dhurup Singh, Raja
Jugal
Keshwar Singh succeeded to the throne. This Raja soon came into
conflict
with the East India Company but it did not take much time for the
British to
subjugate him. A few generations later, Harendra Keshwar Singh became
the
king. He was known as the Maharaja, a title given to his father by the
British for the services rendered to them. When the King did not beget
a
successor, he married again. But within a few days of his second
marriage,
he died. The rumours then had it that he was poisoned by his first
wife.
Following his death in1893, the British took over the
administration of Bettiah under the controversial Doctrine of Lapse.
The
Maharaja's younger widow, Maharani Janki Kuar, who was called Maharani
out
of courtesy, staked her claim to the estate. There were other claimants
also
but their claims were all disallowed.
The Maharani who lived most of the time in Allahabad, died in
1955
at the age of 85. She had been declared insane before her death. Even
today,
the Bettiah Raj holds a vast property spread all over Champaran and
parts of
Uttar Pradesh. It has been managed by bureaucrats who have fattened
their
pockets with the wealth of the estate. The condition of the palace
today is
indicative of the bad days of the Raj. It would not take long for the
crumbling edifice to disappear.
Except for Raja Dhurup Singh, none of his successors seems to
have
shown any interest in things Christian, said a local resident who has a
large repertoire of anecdotes about the Christian heritage of Bettiah:
"Raja
Dhurup Singh had great faith in Christianity. He used to attend mass
also."
But what prevented him from embracing the new religion? "It is not that
there was no opposition to the church at that time. There were Hindus
who
opposed every move of the Christians and since they could have created
problems for the Raja, he played safe by not officially accepting
Christianity as his religion. Nevertheless, he had instructed that when
he
died, a cross should be placed on his chest."
To drive home his point that in the initial days the
Christians
were looked down upon, he narrated how a Hindu was ostracized from his
community because he had shared a hookah with a Christian. "Of course,
he
also became a Christian".
He narrated another story to buttress his version that Fr Bernini was
an
extraordinarily courageous man. In Bettiah, he was offered a house
which
people believed was haunted. Nobody was willing to stay there. But the
priest did not have any problem in staying there peacefully.
Nevertheless,
what kind of a man was Fr Bernini who brought Christianity to Bettiah?
The man who sowed the seeds of Christianity in the virgin soil of
Bettiah
was an Italian missionary, Fr Joseph Mary Bernini. An epitome of
devotion
and perseverance, he is credited with the distinction of being the
paterfamilias of the Christians of Bihar.
Born in the noble family of the Counts of Bernini on September 2, 1709,
Fr
Bernini shone for his religious piety and sterling qualities of head
and
heart. His biography is as gripping as it is indicative of his strong,
generous and ardent soul. Having been brought up as a child in an
old-fashioned and austere way of life, it made him pine for a life of
mortification and suffering, the cardinal characteristics of a
missionary.
Not yet in his teens, he entered into an agreement with a
younger
brother that they would whip each other in a spirit of penance. Thus
they
began to experience the rigours of flagellation. Whenever Bernardino's
(the
Christian name of Fr Bernini) turn came, he would tell his brother:
"Courage, lay on, for I shall not have such a pity for you". Bernardino
was
sent to Vienna to study at the house of an uncle. Whenever his tutor
rebuked
him, his face would flare up in rage while his hands sought the little
sword
hanging from his side. Once he accepted a challenge from a companion,
who
was stronger and more skilled in fencing, but the challenger failed to
turn
up at the appointed place.
Later, Bernardino took to reading spiritual books and became
so
engrossed in things spiritual that he decided to become a hermit. He
also
managed to persuade one of his younger brothers to follow his example
and
embrace the same solitary life. The two of them fled one day from
Vienna to
a hiding place in the neighbourhood. After two days, however, they were
found out and brought back to the uncle.
Well-versed in Latin, French, German and Italian and having
finished the study of the humanities, young Bernardino made up his mind
to
enter the Capuchin order. While in Rome in 1738, where he had been sent
to
complete his ecclesiastical training, he met Fr Francis Horace, who was
then
the head of the Lhasa mission of the church.
On being asked by Fr Horace whether he was ready to join the
mission, Fr Bernini replied: "If Holy Obedience sends me to the
mission, I
am most willing to come and work under you". That settled the issue.
Initially, Fr Bernini was posted at Patna where he reached at the end
of
1739. He set out for the Forbidden City where the fledgling mission was
in
great straits, in January 1742, reaching the Tibetan Capital on May 27
the
same year. Following the persecution of the Christians there, he moved
out
of the city with all the missionaries on April 20, 1745.
The same year, the Holy See permitted him to open a Catholic station at
Bettiah where he remained till his death in the Odour of Sanctity on
January
15, 1761. His medical skill was renowned throughout Bihar, Nepal and
Tibet.
He was the first foreigner ever to write pamphlets and religious tracts
in
the Hindustani language and to translate several classics of the
Sanskrit
literature into Italian.
On account of his writings and translations, his knowledge of
the
eastern languages and his love for the lore of the East, he was
numbered
among the noted Orientalists of the time. Besides, he was a holy man of
God,
a shepherd with boundless love for his sheep. It is a pity that no one
has
taken up the cause of his beatification and that his name has been
allowed
to fall in the void of oblivion. He truly had the stuff which goes to
make
saints and heroes. It will be a pity if the church forgets the
contributions
of Fr Bernini and his colleagues which helped establish the first
church on
the "roof of the world" in 1726.
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