[Illustration:  Ancient Christian Church at Parur on the Malabar coast.  (After Claudius Buchanan.)]

I have been desirous to give some illustration of the churches of that interesting body, certain of which must date from a very remote period, but I have found unlooked for difficulties in procuring such illustration.  Several are given in the Life of Dr. Claudius Buchanan from his own sketches, and a few others in the Life of Bishop D. Wilson.  But nearly all represent the churches as they were perverted in the 17th century and since, by a coarse imitation of a style of architecture bad enough in its genuine form.  I give, after Buchanan, the old church at Parur, not far from Cranganore, which had escaped masquerade, with one from Bishop Wilson’s Life, showing the quasi Jesuit deformation alluded to, and an interior also from the latter work, which appears to have some trace of genuine character.  Parur church is probably Palur, or Pazhur, which is one of those ascribed to St. Thomas, for Dr. Buchanan says it bears the name of the Apostle, and “is supposed to be the oldest in Malabar.” (Christ.  Res. p. 113.)

[Quilon is “one of the oldest towns on the coast, from whose re-foundation in 1019 A.D., Travancore reckons its era.” (Hunter, Gaz., XI., p. 339.)—­H.C.]

How Polo comes to mention Coilum before Comari is a question that will be treated further on, with other misplacements of like kind that occur in succeeding chapters.

[Illustration:  Syrian Church at Caranyachirra (from “Life of Bp.  D. Wilson"), showing the quasi-Jesuit facade generally adopted in modern times.]

[Illustration:  Interior of Syrian Church at Kutteiyan in Travancore. (From “Life of Bp.  D. Wilson.")]

Kublai had a good deal of diplomatic intercourse of his usual kind with Kaulam.  De Mailla mentions the arrival at T’swan chau (or Zayton) in 1282 of envoys from KIULAN, an Indian State, bringing presents of various rarities, including a black ape as big as a man.  The Emperor had three times sent thither an officer called Yang Ting-pi (IX. 415).  Some rather curious details of these missions are extracted by Pauthier from the Chinese Annals.  The royal residence is in these called A-pu-’hota[4] The king is styled Pinati.  I may note that Barbosa also tells us that the King of Kaulam was called Benate-deri (devar?).  And Dr. Caldwell’s kindness enables me to explain this title. Pinati or Benate represents Venadan. “the Lord of the Venadu,” or Venattu, that being the name of the district to which belonged the family of the old kings of Kollam, and Venadan being their regular dynastic name.  The Rajas of Travancore who superseded the Kings of Kollam, and inherit their titles, are still poetically styled Venadan. (Pauthier, p. 603 seqq.; Ram. I. f. 304.)