Johann Ernst Hanxleden

Johann Ernst Hanxleden (1681-1732), famously known as Arnos Paathiri was a German Jesuit priest, missionary in India and a Malayalam/Sanskrit poet, grammarian, lexicographer, and philologist.

Hanxleden was born at Ostercappeln, near Osnabrück, in Lower Saxony, Germany in 1681. After doing philosophical studies in his home town, Osnabruck, Hanxleden volunteered for service in India. Together with the Jesuits Wilhelm Weber and Wilhelm Meyr, and a doctor, Franz Kaspar Schillinger (who left us an account of the perilous voyage), he set forth (30 October 1699) on a long arduous overland journey to India, travelling through Italy, Turkey, Syria, Armenia, and Persia, and set foot in India at Surat (in contemporary Gujarat) on 13 December 1700. During the journey Hanxleden was formally accepted as a member of the Society of Jesus. Weber and Meyr had died at sea, before reaching Surat. Left alone, Hanxleden proceeded to Goa where there was a large community of Jesuits.

After completing his spiritual formation (Novitiate) in Goa, Hanxleden was sent to the Jesuit Seminary at sampaloor in Thrissur District,Kerala, S. India. The remains of the seminary where he did his priestly studies in Sampallor and the church still kept as a historical monument at St. Francis Xavier's church sampaloor. The word Sampallor has got its origin from 'san-paul-ur', means land of St. Paul. It was the Jesuit priests who have given this name to this land which was formerly called as Ambalakad to commemorate St. Paul the Apostle of Jesus who travelled at length from middle East to the western Europe to preach the Gospel. It is also assumed that Jesuits had great reverence to Pope Paul III who approved the Plan of St. Ignatius of Lyola to form a congregation by name "Society of Jesus"in 1540 by the bull "Formula of the Institute".

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