Mar Dionysius III - Geevarghese Mar Philexenos.

Geevarghese Mar Philexenos.

With to the sudden demise of Pulikkottil Joseph Mar Dionysious I (Mar Thoma X), on November 24, 1816, the government wanted to give the interest of the Vattipanam to the church. So the British resident called a meeting of the Diwan (prime minister) of Travancore and elders of the church at Ernakulam. This meeting decided to appoint Geevarghese Mar Philexenos (Kidangan) (1811–1829) of the Malabar Independent Syrian Church, who consecrated Pulikottil Joseph Mar Dionysius in 1816, to be the Malankara Metropolitan. This was accepted and Maharajahas of both Travancore and Cochin issued royal proclamations to confirm this. Mar Philexenos collected the interest of the Vattipanam (Fixed Deposit) from 1816 to 1829 (till his death) and paid it to the Malankara church and Kottayam Syrian seminary.