Once an African Slave, Now a God in India

THE HINDU
By Nidhi Surendranath

At a shrine for 'Kappiri Muthappan' at Mangattumukku at Mattancherry. 

INDIA---Kappiri Muthappan, believed to be a slave of the Portuguese traders, is worshipped in Mattancherry. The small shrine at Mangattumukku in Mattancherry bears no religious markings, idols, or symbols. It consists of a simple platform built onto an adjacent compound wall and a tiled roof covering it. Yet, people visit this shrine every day to light candles, offer flowers, cigars, tender coconuts, and even toddy to the ‘deity’ unique to Kochi – ‘Kappiri Muthappan.’. The name is a corruption of the word ‘kafir,’ meaning non-believer, which is what Arab travellers called the people of Africa,” said historian M.G.S Narayanan. “Kochi was a centre for slave trade in the 16 century,” he said. [link]