Through this post we are releasing the scans of two books – History of Christianity in Canara, Vol 1 and Vol 2, written by Severine Silva.
These books give a detailed introduction on the arrival and growth of Christianity, specifically the Roman Catholic Church, in Canara (or South West Karnataka) from the 15th century up to the end of the 19th century. There are 14 chapters, out of which 4 deal with the religious persecution under Tipu Sultan.
The contents are supported by detailed footnotes in almost every page. Several documents relating to the Catholic Church, the British rulers of Mysore etc are included in the appendices in Volume 1. Volume 2 consists entirely of letters, treaties, sannad, decrees, firmans and other documents relating to this community from the 14th century onwards. These documents include a few from Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan (in English translation) and also from the Maharaja of Coorg, the British Resident in Mysore, the British Governor of Madras, etc. Appendix no 75 is notable in giving a description of the Four Castes as it existed in Canara. Some matters of ecclesiastical disagreement are also treated in a chapter in Vol 1 and an appendix in Vol 2. Many of the documents are of significance for historical research. A bibliography is provided at the end of Vol 2.
This document is digitized as part of the Dharmaram College Library digitization project.
Metadata and link to the digitized document – Vol. 1
Metadata and link to the digitized document are provided below.
- Name: History of Christianity in Canara – Vol. 1
- Author: Severine Silva
- Published Year: 1957
- Number of pages: 244
- Press: Star of Kanara Press, Kumta
- Scan link: Link
Metadata and link to the digitized document – Vol. 2
Metadata and link to the digitized document are provided below.
- Name: History of Christianity in Canara – Vol. 2
- Author: Severine Silva
- Published Year: 1961
- Number of pages: 136
- Press: St Aloysius’ College, Mangalore
- Scan link: Link