Yerraguntla Periah
The story of the American Baptist Mission among Telugu people took an unexpected turn with the appearance of a man called Yerraguntla Periah on the scene. He was from Madiga community from a village called Tallakondapadu in Kanigiri Taluk, about 100 kilometers southwest of Ongole town.
Periah was a leather worker and a trader. For purposes of trade, he along with a group of his kinsmen, used to frequently travel to the northern district of Godavari. There, they would buy hide in large quantities and sell it in the Madiga hamlets along their way back to their village. Given the fact that leather work was the traditional occupation of the Madigas, and the fact that between Godavari and Ongole there are many villages that had Madiga communities, there was a great demand for hide all thorugh their journey back home. The practice of these tradesr was, to travel some distance, halt for a while and then move on, and then when the night came, they would rest in a village.
Sometime in 1862, it so happened that due to a poisonous insect-bite a large number of animals had died in the Godavari district. Many enterprising Madigas from Ongole region saw a business opportunity in this, and went there to buy cartloads of hide and bring it back to their region and sell for profit. Periah was one of them.
During this trip, while passing through a town of Eluru, he met a relative of his, Ongole Abrahamu. Abrahamu had once been a trader himself; and in one of his trips to the northern districts he had come across Christian missionaries of the Church of England working in the Godavari district. He was so influenced by their preaching that his entire family converted, took baptism and settled in Eluru. He became an evangelist. Whenever his relatives from Ongole passed by, along that route, they stayed with him for a while. That’s how Periah stayed with him in 1862 and heard of Christian religion from him. Abrahamu’s own account of his conversion and the transformation it had brought in his life made Periah more curious about this new religion. He wanted to meet the missionaries. He met Rev. Alexander stationed in Eluru and later Rev. Bowden in Palakollu, both missionaries of the Church of England, and very close friends of Lyman Jewett of American Baptist Mission. They spent a lot of time with Periah answering his queries, and when it came to baptism, they thought it appropriate to direct him to the American Baptist mission, since Periah was from the Ongole region.
They advised him that soon a new missionary would come to Ongole, and that Periah should meet him for further instruction and baptism.
That entire experience in Eluru had a strong effect on Periah. When he returned to his village, he gave up worshipping idols and began to pray like the way Ongole Abrahamu did. He adopted a Christian way of life, i.e., to the extent he understood it, much to the astonishment and ridicule of his relatives, including his wife. Despite the ridicule, Periah did not give up. He was made of stronger substance. He continued. After about a year and a half, not only his wife but also many of his relatives in his own village and the neighboring villages converted. Periah, since the time he converted, had made several trips to the mission bungalow in Ongole to meet the ‘missionary who was to come’. Each time, he would just meet the watchman Obulu and return utterly disappointed. Finally, in 1866, Obulu took Periah to the British officer, an overseer of public works, to whom the bungalow was rented out, and who was living there. On behalf of Periah, his wife wrote a letter to Rev. Lyman Jewett.
Periah’s letter reached Nellore just when John Clough had learnt the language and waiting for a new area to start his work. Clough was young and was rearing to go anywhere. To say the least, Peraiah's letter gave a clear and compelling direction to this hopeless mission which was on the verge of being shut down. In the Nellore mission compound, there was much discussion as to what to make of this letter. Finally, they decided to act on it. Within weeks after receiving the letter, Jewett, Clough and Kanakiah went to Ongole to meet Yerraguntla Periah. This was in the month of March,1866.
The story of the American Baptist Mission among Telugu people took an unexpected turn with the appearance of a man called Yerraguntla Periah on the scene. He was from Madiga community from a village called Tallakondapadu in Kanigiri Taluk, about 100 kilometers southwest of Ongole town.
Periah was a leather worker and a trader. For purposes of trade, he along with a group of his kinsmen, used to frequently travel to the northern district of Godavari. There, they would buy hide in large quantities and sell it in the Madiga hamlets along their way back to their village. Given the fact that leather work was the traditional occupation of the Madigas, and the fact that between Godavari and Ongole there are many villages that had Madiga communities, there was a great demand for hide all thorugh their journey back home. The practice of these tradesr was, to travel some distance, halt for a while and then move on, and then when the night came, they would rest in a village.
Sometime in 1862, it so happened that due to a poisonous insect-bite a large number of animals had died in the Godavari district. Many enterprising Madigas from Ongole region saw a business opportunity in this, and went there to buy cartloads of hide and bring it back to their region and sell for profit. Periah was one of them.
During this trip, while passing through a town of Eluru, he met a relative of his, Ongole Abrahamu. Abrahamu had once been a trader himself; and in one of his trips to the northern districts he had come across Christian missionaries of the Church of England working in the Godavari district. He was so influenced by their preaching that his entire family converted, took baptism and settled in Eluru. He became an evangelist. Whenever his relatives from Ongole passed by, along that route, they stayed with him for a while. That’s how Periah stayed with him in 1862 and heard of Christian religion from him. Abrahamu’s own account of his conversion and the transformation it had brought in his life made Periah more curious about this new religion. He wanted to meet the missionaries. He met Rev. Alexander stationed in Eluru and later Rev. Bowden in Palakollu, both missionaries of the Church of England, and very close friends of Lyman Jewett of American Baptist Mission. They spent a lot of time with Periah answering his queries, and when it came to baptism, they thought it appropriate to direct him to the American Baptist mission, since Periah was from the Ongole region.
They advised him that soon a new missionary would come to Ongole, and that Periah should meet him for further instruction and baptism.
That entire experience in Eluru had a strong effect on Periah. When he returned to his village, he gave up worshipping idols and began to pray like the way Ongole Abrahamu did. He adopted a Christian way of life, i.e., to the extent he understood it, much to the astonishment and ridicule of his relatives, including his wife. Despite the ridicule, Periah did not give up. He was made of stronger substance. He continued. After about a year and a half, not only his wife but also many of his relatives in his own village and the neighboring villages converted. Periah, since the time he converted, had made several trips to the mission bungalow in Ongole to meet the ‘missionary who was to come’. Each time, he would just meet the watchman Obulu and return utterly disappointed. Finally, in 1866, Obulu took Periah to the British officer, an overseer of public works, to whom the bungalow was rented out, and who was living there. On behalf of Periah, his wife wrote a letter to Rev. Lyman Jewett.
Periah’s letter reached Nellore just when John Clough had learnt the language and waiting for a new area to start his work. Clough was young and was rearing to go anywhere. To say the least, Peraiah's letter gave a clear and compelling direction to this hopeless mission which was on the verge of being shut down. In the Nellore mission compound, there was much discussion as to what to make of this letter. Finally, they decided to act on it. Within weeks after receiving the letter, Jewett, Clough and Kanakiah went to Ongole to meet Yerraguntla Periah. This was in the month of March,1866.