Puthen Pana

Poem by Johann Ernst Hanxleden

Puthen Pana
by Arnos Pathiri
Original title	പുതന്‍ പാന
Written	Between 1721 and 1732
Country	India
Language	Malayalam
Subject(s)	Life of Jesus Christ
Genre(s)	Religious poetry, Christian poetry
Meter	Nathonatha, Sarpini
Lines	14 padams

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.

Structure and Content

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]

Legacy

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]

References

^ "Arnos Padre commemoration". The Hindu. 17 March 2010. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
^ "Choreography on 'Puthenpana' staged". The Hindu. 22 January 2007. Archived from the original on 22 March 2008. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
^ "The whole text of the Puthen Paana". Anto Jose. Retrieved 30 March 2013.^{[permanent dead link]}