Devasahayam was brought to the king’s palace in Padmanabhapuram for questioning. Historical records from the period reveal that he faced widespread accusations from the Namboodiris, General Ramayan, Singaram Anna, and others close to the king. They charged that, after converting to Christianity, Devasahayam distanced himself from his hometown community, openly criticized the king and authorities, and declared that certain practices displeased God. He refused to participate in the Bhadhrakali temple ceremony, insulting Namboodiri worship, and expressed opposition to the Namboodiris and Vedic Nairs, even threatening to remove their sacred threads (poonool) and wear them as a waistband.
He also abstained from offering traditional items like yogurt, milk, and vegetables during the Thiruvonam festival at Padmanabhapuram Palace. Devasahayam encouraged only the oppressed to contribute bananas, vegetables, and bamboo for Hindu temple festivals, challenging entrenched traditions. He championed equality, rejecting caste distinctions, and treated slaves as equals, an act deemed treasonous. He avoided religious ceremonies at the Padmanabhapuram Palace and Fort, and through his persuasive rhetoric, attracted upper-caste individuals to Christianity while advocating for tax exemptions solely for Christians under the Travancore government.
Additionally, he sought to secure trees for the Vadakkankulam church’s construction, arranging for them to be provided free of charge to Fr. Paranjothi Nathar, the parish priest.
Faced with these accusations, the king’s court offered Devasahayam a stark choice: renounce his Christian faith or face death. Devasahayam remained silent, prompting the king’s messengers to report his perceived defiance to Marthanda Varma. The king personally interrogated him, but Devasahayam steadfastly upheld his Christian beliefs and refuted the false charges. Enraged, Marthanda Varma ordered him handcuffed and imprisoned, despite pleas from Fr. Perririse and De Lannoy to spare him.
As the order was carried out, some individuals subjected Devasahayam to relentless torture. They beat and trampled him, inflicting excruciating pain, like a bird caught by a hunter with its wings torn off. They forced cow urine and dung into his mouth as a cruel act of humiliation and persecuted other Christians they encountered.
Fearing that prolonged delays might expose their brutality, Devasahayam’s accusers convinced the king that his unwavering faith was inspiring others to convert to Christianity, urging his execution. Marthanda Varma ordered his soldiers (Evelers) to take Devasahayam to a forest near Madathattuvilai for execution.
In a symbolic gesture, they placed a garland of calotropis leaves around Devasahayam’s neck, a custom typically reserved for condemned criminals but now worn by an innocent and serene man. In the forest, they laid him on a rock under the blistering sun. A local woman was instructed to grind Gandhari chili to rub into his wounded flesh. Moved by compassion, she mixed turmeric to soothe his pain, but Devasahayam urged her to follow the order precisely. When she applied only the chili, he calmly remarked that it felt cold, giving the forest its name, Kulumaikkadu (Cold Forest).
As the soldiers prepared to execute him, a servant intervened, delivering the king’s revised order to imprison Devasahayam in Travancore until he renounced his faith.
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