Fig. 6		Fig. 7		Fig. 8		Fig. 9		Fig. 10

Fig. 11		Fig. 12		Fig. 13		Fig. 14

Saint Gregorios of Parumala is popularly known as ‘Parumala Thirumeni’. Metropolitan Gee Varghese Mar Gregorios of the Malankara Orthodox Church became the first declared saint from Malankara to be called ‘Parumala Thirumeni.’The sources of the discursively arranged photographs and pictures of Parumala Thirumeni on this page are varied, and have been collected primarily from books, news papers and the internet. These will illustrate the ways in which a process of iconisation of this “saint” has taken place. Only four photographs of Parumala Thirumeni survive today. They include the one which was shot when he was twentynine years old in which he appears in the priestly robes of his denomination [Fig. 6]. The second and third are group photographs but they are not in circulation. The fourth one [Fig. 7], taken by D’cruz, is more prominent, and different adaptations of this photograph widely circulate even today. Photographs and paintings of Parumala Thirumeni’s samadhi or kabaradakka (burial) are in circulation and are used as object of veneration [Figs. 17-20]

In the collation of photographs and paintings shown on this page, the black &white as well as sepia tone photographs are based on the photo taken by D’cruz [Figs. 6-8]. The rest of the series are painted amendments of the same photograph taken by D’cruz. It was the famous artists K. M Varghese (1888-1962) and Raja Ravi Varma (1848-1906) who first used D’Cruz’s photograph to produce the painted and coloured image of the saint [Figs. 9-10]. It could be observed that there was not much change when artist K. M Varghese painted Parumala Thirumeni, except for the vibrant coloured visual effects of each object in the photographs [Fig. 9].  From Ravi Varma’s painting onwards [Fig. 9], a slight but distinguishable change occurred in the visual vocabularies of the image where a radiant and shimmer light appear in the background of the image that further illuminated and projected the holiness of Thirumeni [Fig. 11]. When he started painting the portrait of Thirumeni by using the photograph as model and completed one picture, Ravi Varma was not satisfied with the result and began to paint another one. The artist recalled later that after completing the picture he also felt that Thirumeni had the extraordinary magnificence of a holy man (Karingattil 2002, 378). Ravi Varma could successfully insert supernatural and religious elements radiating power into the painting, providing a different aesthetic dimension to the image. Considering the dimension of reality of the image, one can argue that the particular discourses and the social imaginary that it produced attributed meanings to such constructions.

At present, this particular Ravi Varma picture of Thirumeni is in circulation, and has also been was further retouched to evoke maximum pleasing nature, lustrous and benevolence [Figs. 11-12]. After K. M Varghese and Ravi Varma, there were many others who have produced images of Thirumeni, but all of them tend to be emulations of Ravi Varma’s effort. However, these publicly circulated painted images have been replete with more illuminated signs of divinity. The range of images given here will show this transition among which, the last two images which attain the zenith of the pictorial iconiastion of Thirumeni, were drawn by Babu Chenganur, the artist who studied at Ravi Varma Fine Arts College, Mavelikkara [Figs. 13 & 14]. Babu Chenganur pictured Thirumeni’s image against a background of clouds to add a further sheen to the facial expression and graceful aura. Babu Chenganur knew that “even though Thirumeni had a dark complexion, in the minds of the mass his face is replete with the glowing whitish” (Karingattil 2002, 379-80). According to K. K Philip, another artist who has painted a number of Thirumeni’s pictures, “dark-skin (mixed complexion), lean body, commanding eyes, devout lips have been given to the picture which I have drawn” (Karingattil 2002, 380). Still, all these artists’ images had their origin in the photographic model that was captured by D’Cruz in 1902. In this context, it can be said that it is through a careful juxtaposition of real and imaginary ideas that the ideal icon of this religious leader has been created. This ideal icon is constituted by combining certain notions such as the representation of the real body and symbolic objects (such as the rod of the Bishop which has symbolic power (amshavadi), the religious attire of the sect, and the crucifix), with the illusory and imaginative ideas of tranquility, devoutness, holiness, and blissful facial expressions with a sparkling and shining halo as well as the posture of blessing. A close reading of such icons show their interesting movement across a spectrum following certain hierarchical notions.

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