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The Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church has given birth to many eminent ascetics, monks, and spiritual fathers. Among them, one of the most distinguished monks and ascetics was Venerable Kochuparambil Geevarghese Rabban/Ramban, a parishioner of St. John’s Jacobite Syrian Church, Vadakara. He was renowned as an ascetic, Syriac scholar, writer, and eloquent preacher.
The most remarkable aspect of Ramban’s life was that, despite having one of his legs amputated due to illness, he continued to travel extensively to monasteries such as Manjinikkara Dayro, Malekurish Dayro, and Thrikkothamangalam Sherbil Dayro. There, he provided spiritual training and imparted knowledge to seminarians and clergy. Even within these physical limitations, Ramban travelled widely, visited churches, and preached on matters of the true faith. In short, Venerable Kochuparambil Geevarghese Ramban was a travelling missionary, always ready to go to the people to impart knowledge and to keep them steadfast in the true faith.
Venerable Geevarghese Ramban was born on 5 November 1872 in the Kochuparambil family of the St. John’s Jacobite Syrian Church, Vadakara, under the Kandanad Diocese, as the son of Yohannan and Kunjeely. From a young age, he showed great zeal for spiritual matters and later chose the priestly life. He studied Syriac under Mor Paulus Mor Ivanios , the Metropolitan of the Kandanad Diocese. At the age of twelve, on 6 July 1884, he received the order of Shemmashan (deacon) from Mor Paulus Mor Ivanios. After completing his Syriac studies under Mor Ivanios, Venerable Ramban joined the Old Seminary, Kottayam, where he completed his theological education. Having acquired deep knowledge in Syriac and theology, he served as a teacher at the Pampakuda Seminary.
On 6 September 1899, at St. Mary’s Jacobite Syrian Church, Kandanad, St. Gregorios Geevarghese (Parumala Thirumeni) conferred priestly ordination upon him, and on the following day, 7 September, elevated him to the rank of Monk/Ramban. After embracing monastic life, he resided for some time at St. John’s Church, Vadakara, devoting himself to prayer and the reading of Scriptures. Later, a building was constructed adjacent to St. Mary’s Church, Kuzhikkattukunnel, under the Vadakara parish, where Rambaan continued his ascetic life. Prayer, fasting, scriptural reading, and a simple life were the hallmarks of Ramban’s spiritual discipline. Due to the intensity of his ascetic life, he developed serious health issues, including swelling in his left leg caused by diabetes. Despite medical treatment, his condition did not improve, and in 1907, the portion of his leg below the knee had to be amputated. Nevertheless, Ramban remained undeterred and continued his spiritual mission, travelling with the help of an artificial leg.
During the church disputes that arose in 1912, Ramban firmly aligned himself with the Holy Apostolic See of Antioch and actively wrote and preached against the doctrinal errors of the opposing faction. A gifted writer, he contributed numerous articles to the periodical “Jeevanikshepam,” published by Konnattu Mathen Corepiscopo (Priest Trustee of the Jacobite Syrian Church from 1901-'28). Ramban also translated Mazmooro (Psalms) from Syriac into Malayalam. He corresponded extensively with church leaders, including Vattasseril Thirumeni, on matters of faith and doctrine. A collection of his letters and the replies he received was published in 1933 under the title “Ethrayum Saaravathaya Oru Ezhuthu Pusthakam” (A Most Substantive Collection of Writings).
Ramban later moved from Vadakara to Malekurish Dayro, where he resided for some time, and subsequently served as a malfono/malpan at Thrikkothamangalam Sherbil Dayro. He later served at Manjinikkara Dayro alongside Venerable Abdul Ahad Ramban (Patriarch Mor Ignatius Yakub III). When his health deteriorated again, his family took him back to Malekurish Dayro. After recovering, on 8 February 1943, His Holiness Patriarch Aphrem I appointed Ramban as Reesh Dayro (Head of the Monastery) of St. John’s Gethsemane Dayro, Piramadom. He also served in the churches of Chelad and Amayapra.
Venerable Kochuparambil Geevarghese Ramban passed away on 31 December 1957 and was laid to rest at St. George Dayro Church, Malekurish.
Click the below link for an article on Rabban in Malayalam by Philip Kuruvilla Thekkethalackal
 An Annotated Historical Photograph from Manjinikkara Dayro (1934)This rare and valuable commemorative photograph sheds light on a significant and formative period in the history of the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church. The photograph was taken at the Seminary of Manjinikkara Mor Ignatius Dayro, an institution that produced numerous eminent theologians and church leaders who played a decisive role in shaping the doctrinal, liturgical, and institutional life of the Malankara Church. The photograph was taken in 1934, following the priestly ordination of Venerable Abdul Ahad Ramban (Sharvoyyo), who had arrived at Manjinikkara Dayro that year as Principal (Chief Instructor), in accordance with the directive of His Holiness Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem I, Patriarch of Antioch. Identification of Persons in the PhotographVenerable Abdul Ahad Ramban is seated to the right of the Patriarchal Delegate, who occupies the central position in the photograph. Venerable Abdul Ahad Ramban was an outstanding scholar of Syriac musicology, theology, and church history, and was widely regarded as a repository of knowledge and spiritual maturity. In 1946, by the command of Patriarch Aphrem I, he was appointed as the administrator of the Syriac Orthodox Seminary at Mosul. Subsequently, he became the administrator of Mor Markose Dayro in Jerusalem, traditionally identified as the site of the Upper Room where the Holy Eucharist was instituted and where the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles. He was later elected Metropolitan of Lebanon, and eventually ascended the Apostolic Throne of Antioch as His Holiness Moran Mor Ignatius Jacob III. Seated at the centre is His Eminence Mor Julius Elias, the Patriarchal Delegate to Malankara, a figure of enduring importance in the history of the Malankara Church. He served Malankara continuously for thirty-nine years (1923–1962), living apart from his native land and people. He passed away in 1962 and was interred at Manjinikkara Dayro. Seated to the left of Mor Julius Elias is Venerable Kochuparambil Geevarghese Rambachan, later interred at Malekurish Dayro. He is remembered as a saintly monk, an uncompromising defender of the Orthodox faith, and a steadfast supporter of the Holy Apostolic See of Antioch until the end of his life. Hagiographical tradition records that, at the time of his death, he spoke of Moses and Elijah standing with angels to receive him into eternity—a testimony recorded by Venerable Moshe Salama Ramban, who was present at the time and later became Metropolitan Mor Chrysostomos Moshe Salama of Brazil. Among those seated in the lower row, on the left, is Venerable Kalloopparambil V. M. Geevarghese Achen, who was only ten years old at the time the photograph was taken and was then a deacon. In later years, he became a Trustee of the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church and served as Principal of the Kothamangalam and Kolenchery Colleges, emerging as a prominent personality in ecclesiastical and academic life. He was ordained deacon at the age of seven by Patriarch Moran Mor Ignatius Elias III, who affectionately referred to him as “My Dove.” Seated in the lower row, on the right, is His Grace Mor Clemis Abraham Metropolitan, later the Metropolitan of the Knanaya Diocese and subsequently Malankara Metropolitan of the Jacobite Syrian community. He was a resolute defender of the Antiochene Apostolic Throne during a turbulent period in church history and later came to be known as “Kubernithi Hakimo” (the Wise Helmsman). His oft-quoted statement—“If the Malankara Church is the body, the Holy See of Antioch is its head”—has become a defining expression of Antiochene ecclesiology in Malankara. He received the rank of Qorepiscopa from Patriarch Ignatius Elias III. Among those standing, in the second row, the first from the left is His Holiness Mor Baselios Paulose II, later Catholicos of the East, revered as a model of holiness, integrity, and pastoral clarity. His final exhortation to the faithful—“My children, always remember the Holy See of Antioch”—is widely remembered. Standing in the front row, fifth from the left, is Venerable Kuriakose Corepiscopa of Vettikunnel, long-serving Vicar of Manarcad St. Mary’s Jacobite Syrian Church, noted for his purity of life and exemplary pastoral leadership. He was the son of Vettikunnel Valiyachen (Kuriakose Kassisheeshan), one of the most respected priests in Malankara Church history. Additional Figures and Historical ContextAccording to available knowledge, several other eminent figures—some later elevated to episcopal rank—are also present in the photograph, including Mor Julius Jacob Madappattu, Kaniyamparambil Kurien Corepiscopa, Njarathankal N. K. Koruthu Malpan, Fr. Dr. V. C. Samuel, and Eruthikkal Markose Kathanar, among others. The photograph stands as a visual testimony to the pivotal role played by Manjinikkara Dayro Seminary, its leadership, and its principal teachers—particularly Venerable Abdul Ahad Ramban—in preserving and transmitting the theological, doctrinal, and liturgical heritage shared today by both the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church and the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. by Jacob Simon (Jaimon), Onattu, Kottayam
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