Buttari Adigalar, who baptized Devasahayam, was transferred from Vadakkankulam Parish to the ancient Periyanayaki Madha Kovil as a parish priest in Auoor, located in the southern part of Tiruchirappalli, in 1751. It was during his tenure here that Devasahayam met his martyrdom. Buttari Adigalar served the people of Auoor for six years until his passing on May 19, 1757, at the age of fifty, on the Feast of the Assumption. He was buried near the Auoor church, and according to traditional accounts, Devasahayam’s wife, Gnanappu Ammaiyar, attended his funeral.
De Lannoy, the Dutch general who played a pivotal role in Devasahayam’s conversion to Christianity, made significant contributions to Travancore under Marthanda Varma’s rule. He introduced Western military practices, modern weaponry, and fortifications, building forts at Padmanabhapuram, Udayagiri, and the Travancore Lines to defend against Mysore’s king. St. Michael the Archangel Church in Udayagiri, constructed by De Lannoy for his family’s worship, is now recognized as the present Purliyoorkurichy temple.
De Lannoy dedicated thirty-seven years to the kings of Travancore, passing away at sixty-three on June 1, 1777. His son also died that year, followed by his wife, Margarita, in 1783. Their graves rest within the Udayagiri fort, beside the roofless St. Michael the Archangel Church, where De Lannoy once prayed. Each year, on the tenth day of the Puliyoorkurichi church festival, the tombs are cleaned and honored. Managed by the Central Government Archaeological Survey, the site now attracts tourists regularly.
