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MAR THOMA CROSSES PROF. M. M. NINAN Sri Lanka: A rock-carved Nestorian Cross at Anuradhapura Yes it is a Nestorian Cross, but is not exactly the St.Thomas cross. 103
MAR THOMA CROSSES PROF. M. M. NINAN The cross The cross is considered as a variation of the St Thomas Cross but in close analysis it is not part of the St.Thomas cross as defined by our present ones. Compare the two forms of the crosses Anuradhapura cross has the "leaves" (with their upward facing fronds) at the base of the cross. Here these are clearly leaves of a plant. the second element is that each of the arms of the cross terminate in a pearl. Pearls played a central theme in Syriac devotional literature and iconography. The third element is the base, which is a three-stepped pedestal. The three tiers symbolise the three levels of paradise, the three decks of the ark, and the three limits of ascent to Sinai. There are no top flying dove which is distinctive of the Marthoma cross. The cross was discovered in 1912 during archaeological excavations in Anuradhapura. It is cut in sunk relief on the side of a smooth granite column of which a fragment was excavated. An immediate determination about the cross by the Archaeological Commissioner of Ceylon, Edward R. Ayrton, was that it was a Portuguese cross. However we know that there indeed was a thriving christian community as a result of Apostle Thomas’ ministry. The history of the pre-colonial era is aptly described by Archbishop Emeritus Dr Oswald Gomis (2004), in his book, ‘Some Christian Contributions in Sri Lanka’. During the pre-colonial era, two groups of Christians, St. Thomas Christians and Nestorian Christians lived in Sri Lanka, and later they established union with the Catholic Church. Historia Ecclesiastica of Nikephoros Xanthopulos written from Constantinople (present Turkey) states that St. Thomas the Apostle of Jesus preached to Brahamins on a hill at Ginthupitiya in the island of Taprobane. In the 5 th century during the Sigiriya period, 75 ships carrying Murundi Christian soldiers from Mangalore (India) landed in Chilaw at the request of queen Sangha to protect her son King Dhatusena, after he defeated the Pandyans. Migara, King Dhatusena’s nephew and the commander of army was a Christian. His wife, the sister of Mogalan and Kashyapa was also a Christian. The discovery of coins of King Dhatusena with Christian symbols, statues of ‘Abissheka Buddha’ (Paranavithana 1972) and a carved cross on a granite column in Anurhadapura testifies for the presence of Christians in the 5 th century. 104
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