Kochuparambil Rabban Geevarghese

Naduviledam

Very. Rev. Unnuttan Rabban

(1687 - 1771)

Ascetic monks have always occupied a place of enduring significance in the history of the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church. Figures such as the Kattumangattu Bavas, Saint Geevarghese Mar Gregorios of Parumala, and Saint Kochuparambil Thirumeni are well known for having led rigorous monastic lives within hermitages and established monasteries (dayros). Prior to the institutional development of the monastic (dayro) movement, however, ascetic elders customarily lived either within church premises or in buildings attached to churches, where they pursued lives of prayer and spiritual discipline.

One such eminent ascetic elder was Venerable Unnuttan Ramban, a parishioner of St. Mary’s Jacobite Syrian Cathedral, Manarcad, whose memory is commemorated annually on 25 December. Ramban was not only an ascetic of exemplary devotion but also a resolute defender of Orthodox faith during periods of doctrinal challenge within the Malankara Church.

Venerable Unnuttan Ramban was born on 15 August 1687 into the Naduviledam family. From early childhood, he was instructed in spiritual disciplines and, after completing his traditional education, dedicated his life entirely to the priestly vocation. In 1717, he received priestly ordination from Mar Thoma IV, the Malankara Metropolitan. A life of prayerful simplicity defined his spiritual character. He devoted most of his time to prayer and the reading of sacred scriptures, embodying the ideals of ascetic discipline.

Ramban resided in the church residence (pallimālikā) situated on the southern side of Manarcad Church, a structure belonging to the Naduviledam family, which was later donated to the church. In 1731, at the age of forty-four, he was elevated to the rank of Ramban by Mar Thoma V, thereby becoming the first Ramban in the history of Manarcad Church.

During his ascetic ministry, Ramban travelled extensively—within a radius of nearly fifty kilometres—to villages where Syriac Christians lived, both nearby and distant. He provided pastoral care and spiritual instruction to the faithful, attending to their sacramental and doctrinal needs. At a time when the Nestorian bishop Mar Gabriel arrived in the Kottayam region and attempted to propagate heterodox teachings, Ramban stood firmly in defence of Orthodox doctrine. Through instruction and exhortation, he strengthened the faithful in true belief and actively resisted doctrinal deviation.

Venerable Unnuttan Ramban served the Manarcad parish continuously for fifty-four years. He departed to eternal rest on 25 December 1771. His funeral rites were conducted under the chief celebrancy of Mar Dionysius the Great, one of the most eminent hierarchs in Malankara Church history. Ramban was laid to rest within the church, on its southern interior side.

The annual commemoration of Venerable Unnuttan Ramban is observed on 25 December, and his memory continues to be solemnly honoured by the Naduviledam family. His life stands as a lasting witness to ascetic discipline, doctrinal fidelity, and pastoral dedication within the Malankara Syrian Christian tradition.