Granite Cross at the Church

The Old Church of Akkara Amma is conspicuous for the big stone cross in its precincts. The date of its commissioning is not definitely known but the writings on the plaque of the cross show that it was in the year 1614.But the scripts themselves are in proto Malayalm. They are known by the name nanam / moonam. They are not yet fully deciphered.  The same script was used by the Chera kings in their inscriptions also. They deserve scholarly investigations which could unlock our hoary past.

The cross is not monolithic. Many blocks of stones go into their design. There are on its sides, engravings of angels, flowers, and of course the holy cross itself.

Holy Crucifix that oozed blood

Once in a long while floods are common to the midlands of Kerala and one such periodic floods damaged the Akkara Amma’s Church on Chittar. People thought it fit and proper to relocate the Crucufix to a loftier site in the Church. Then all of a sudden, the crucifix began to ooze blood, the sight of which drove people to frenzy and fear. The news spread like wind, and devotees came in hordes to pinch the blood soaked soil, to be kept at home and used as cure for all ailments. Naturally the crucifix was not shifted: but a pit appeared under it. The church elders had the pit closed with fresh soil and that closed the soil pinching frenzy.