Puthen Pana

Puthen Pana is a Malayalam poem written by the German Jesuit missionary priest Johann Ernst Hanxleden, famously known as Arnos Pathiri, in Kerala. The poem, composed between 1721 and 1732, narrates the life of Jesus Christ in a poetic format and is one of the earliest and most well-known Christian-themed works in Malayalam literature.^[1]

The poem is recited by Kerala Christians during important religious occasions like Holy Week, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.

Puthen Pana consists of 14 padams (sections), each narrating key events in the life of Jesus Christ:

• The first padam mentions that the poem was composed at the request of Antonio Pimental, the Archbishop of Cranganore.
• The second padam discusses the Fall of Man.
• Subsequent sections cover biblical events like the Annunciation, Nativity of Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount, the Last Supper, and the Crucifixion.
• The 12th padam is especially significant, portraying the lament of Virgin Mary at the crucifixion.
• The final two padams describe the Resurrection and Ascension.

The 12th padam is composed in the metre Nathonatha, while the others use the Sarpini metre.^[2]

Puthen Pana is one of the first Malayalam poems written on Christianity and remains widely recited by Christian communities in Kerala during Lent and Holy Week. It is considered a masterpiece of early Malayalam Christian literature and is studied for its literary and religious significance. Efforts have been made to preserve the text online.^[3]

• Kristubhagavatam – a modern Sanskrit epic about Jesus Christ
• Indian poetry
• Arnos Pathiri
• Christianity in India