News of this extraordinary event spread among the indigenous people, drawing crowds to see Devasahayam. He seized the moment to preach to those gathered. The journey continued to Nedumangad, where the Hall Officer, a Nair clansman, addressed him courteously as ‘Ammavan’ (uncle) but silenced his preaching by placing a basket over his mouth.
From Nedumangad, Devasahayam was taken to the prison hall. Weakened by starvation, he fell repeatedly from the buffalo. Like Jesus bearing the cross, he endured torment as guards threw him over the animal. When he cried for water, a compassionate poor man offered some, only for soldiers to mock the solidarity among lower-caste Christians.
Before the officers’ investigation began, Devasahayam suffered severe beatings. Bound at Anjutengu fort, soldiers announced with drums to Christian communities that they were offering him as prey to fish, subjecting him to degrading ridicule for their amusement.
De Lannoy’s marital cousins, foreign Christians at Anjuthengu castle, relayed a letter from De Lannoy to Devasahayam: “I can only support you through prayer. No arrangements have been made with the king. Place your full trust in the Lord!” This is recorded in the Malabar Mission Jesuits’ history.
After the jail officer’s trial and sentencing, Devasahayam was taken to Trivandrum. Many there pitied him, while others offered sarcastic blessings. Local fishermen visited him in Thiruvananthapuram, prompting authorities to move him to a secret location. Exhausted during transfers, he was dragged along the ground, leaving his body sore.
The prison officer addressed him, saying, “You, a married man, could have enjoyed life with your wife. Could you not have obeyed the king and spared her pain?” Devasahayam replied, “I choose to follow Christ, the great King of kings, and obey Him.”
Enraged, the officer ordered Devasahayam confined in a foul-smelling, cramped monkey cage at a zoo, as noted by Buttari. Those with compassionate hearts visited, moved by his plight. Later, he was removed from the cage and tied to a Puvarsu (Portia) tree. Rumors spread that he might have been killed in South Travancore.
Gnanappu Ammaiyar, overwhelmed by distress, wandered from place to place. Though proud of her husband’s prophetic transformation and defiance of the powerful, she was haunted by memories of their shared life. As a devoted wife, she longed for his kindness, wisdom, and helping hands. Chasing the fast-moving vehicle carrying him, she ran desperately, like a mother grieving a lost child. Exhausted, she collapsed and wept, lamenting, “If you observe the pendant-encrusted Mangalyam, a securely locked gem, and if neighbors or relatives lay eyes upon it, they might discern the truth... As for the Velli Thirumadam—an item safeguarded from sunlight and kept abundantly at home, provided generously to alleviate hunger.”
Through De Lannoy, Gnanappu learned Devasahayam was tied up in Trivandrum. Gathering her strength, she journeyed there, arriving frail, like a wilting flower. Her heart ached at the thought of his suffering. Her eyes, weary from days of travel, struggled to see. With unsteady steps, she collapsed at her husband’s feet, tied to the tree.
Too weak to speak, Gnanappu heard Devasahayam’s gentle words: “Dear partner, God will protect us like the apple of His eye; do not worry.” Blood clots marred his face from servants’ beatings. Gnanappu wiped them away, refusing to leave his side. “Let the servants beat and torture me beside you; I will praise the Lord with you,” she vowed.
In this moment of trial, the archangel Michael appeared, proclaiming, “You who suffer will be in paradise.” Gnanappu shared this vision with Thomman Thirumuthu Pulavar, Devasahayam’s friend.
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