---
layout: default
title: Athanasius Mathen Abraham Ayrookuzhiel
categories: [A. M. A. Ayrookuzhiel, Biographies]
description: Biography of Rev. Athanasius Mathen Abraham Ayrookuzhiel (A. M. A. Ayrookuzhiel) (1933–1996), Indian theologian and scholar who advanced Dalit theology and contextual Christian thought through his work at the Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society.
created: 2025-10-27
---

**Athanasius Mathen Abraham Ayrookuzhiel** (known as **Reverend A. M. A. Ayrookuzhiel**) was (18 September 1933 – 29 November 1996) was an Indian theologian, priest, and scholar who contributed significantly to the fields of contextual theology, Dalit studies, and the sociology of religion. A committed churchman and academic, he combined spiritual reflection with social analysis, situating faith within the lived experiences of the marginalised. His work at the [Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society](https://cisrs.in/) (CISRS) and his writings on caste, religion, and identity positioned him among the key thinkers of India's liberation theology movement.

## Contents
1. [Early Life and Education](#early-life-and-education)
2. [Ministry and International Engagement](#ministry-and-international-engagement)
3. [Work with CISRS](#work-with-cisrs)
4. [Theological Perspective](#theological-perspective)
5. [Publications and Research](#publications-and-research)
    1. [Selected Bibliography](#selected-bibliography)
    2. [Key Articles and Unpublished Works](#key-articles-and-unpublished-works)
6. [Personal Life](#personal-life)
7. [Death](#death)
8. [References](#references)
9. [External links](#external-links)

## Early Life and Education

Athanasius Mathen Abraham Ayrookuzhiel was born on 18 September 1933 in Chengannur, a town in the Alappuzha district of Kerala. He was the son of Ayrookuzhiel Koruthu Mathen and Mariamma Mathen, and grew up in the Ayrookuzhiel family home at Pallath, Puthen Cave in Alleppy. He belonged to a large household, with siblings Mariamma A. M., Pennamma A. M., A. M. Varghese, A. M. Chaco (Babycheyan), A. M. Thomas, A. M. George, and A. M. Joseph (Anian). The rhythms of family life, church activity, and village community shaped much of his early worldview.

His childhood was spent in Puthenkavu, an area known for its deep Christian heritage, where he completed his early schooling in Katanam and Bharanikavu. These years exposed him to the everyday concerns of rural Kerala and nurtured a growing interest in questions of faith, justice, and human dignity.

With a sense of vocation that emerged early, he entered the seminary in Thiruvananthapuram as a novice of the Order of Ordine Imitationis Christi. Seminary life introduced him to disciplined prayer, study, and reflection, and it opened up theological questions that would guide his later work. He became increasingly attentive to the links between religious belief and social responsibility.

After completing his initial formation, he undertook higher studies in Philosophy and Theology at the Pontificium Athenaeum Pooneuse in Pune, Maharashtra, where he was ordained a priest in 1963. His academic journey later continued in Rome and the United Kingdom, allowing him to engage with wider debates in theology and social thought and giving him a broader perspective that informed his writing and teaching in the years that followed.

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## Ministry and International Engagement

Rev. Ayrookuzhiel's early ministry was shaped by his exposure to both Catholic and Anglican traditions. After completing his studies abroad, he joined the Anglican Church and began his pastoral career at [St. Paul High Anglican Church](https://spauls.co.uk/) in Wokingham, Berkshire, United Kingdom. He served there as a curate from 1970 to 1973, ministering to diverse congregations and engaging with ecumenical networks.

His time in the UK coincided with important changes in global Christianity, particularly the rise of liberation theology and postcolonial discussions on faith and power. These developments left a lasting impression on his understanding of the church’s role in society.

During this period, he married Ponnamma Thekedath, marking a new phase in his personal and professional life. Together, they returned to India in 1973, committed to engaging with theology and social transformation in the Indian context.

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## Work with CISRS

Upon his return to India, Rev. Ayrookuzhiel joined the [Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society](https://cisrs.in/) (CISRS), an influential ecumenical research body that brought together theologians, social scientists, and activists. Under the leadership of [Dr. M. M. Thomas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._M._Thomas), one of India's most respected Christian thinkers, CISRS became a space for critical engagement with questions of development, caste, and justice.

Ayrookuzhiel quickly emerged as a thoughtful voice within this community. His combination of pastoral experience, academic training, and social concern made him an ideal fit for the institute’s work. Over the years, he rose to the position of Associate Director, guiding research initiatives, mentoring young theologians, and contributing to numerous seminars and conferences across India and abroad.

At CISRS, he explored how theology could engage with the lived experiences of Dalit and marginalised communities. He emphasised that Christian faith must not remain confined to doctrine or ritual, but must confront social inequalities and promote human dignity. His approach reflected a deep commitment to contextual theology — the idea that faith must speak to the realities of the local culture and historical moment.

Joining CISRS in 1974, Ayrookuzhiel brought with him years of rigorous theological training from Rome and Oxford. Within the institute, he shifted the study of religion towards viewing faith and culture through the eyes of the oppressed — particularly the Dalits. His work contributed to transforming CISRS’s research orientation from abstract theology to an engaged and socially grounded analysis of religion.

Through a series of field studies and theoretical reflections, he examined how religious traditions, cultural practices, and social hierarchies shaped the lived realities of marginalised communities. His approach introduced new analytical tools for understanding religion and culture as sites of both domination and resistance. These insights became foundational to the development of Dalit theology within Indian Christian thought.

During the 1970s, colleagues at CISRS, including K. C. Abraham, recalled that when Ayrookuzhiel joined the institute, little was known about him apart from his Oxford background and his invitation from M. M. Thomas. He soon proved to be a scholar with a difference. Rather than pursuing abstract doctrinal debate, he turned theology toward the social realities of India. For him, the Dalit struggle was the decisive test of a religion's relevance.

Ayrookuzhiel’s long-term project combined two movements — deconstruction and reconstruction. First, he questioned the assumption that Dalits were naturally part of Hinduism. He described how dominant castes had absorbed Dalit symbols, suppressing their independent identity and faith traditions. He called this process a form of religious colonisation and argued that liberation would come only when Dalits reclaimed their own cultural and religious expressions. The second movement involved reconstructing this heritage through myths, songs, and festivals that preserved traces of Dalit self-understanding. His studies of these oral traditions opened new ground for research at CISRS and beyond.

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## Theological Perspective

Rev. Ayrookuzhiel's writings often bridged theology, sociology, and political thought. He questioned inherited hierarchies within both religion and society, arguing that spiritual liberation must be accompanied by social emancipation.

His theological outlook combined a respect for Indian religiosity with a critical awareness of caste structures and economic disparities. He sought to interpret Christian theology through the lens of the oppressed, and to reimagine religious identity in a pluralistic and hierarchical society.

Influenced by thinkers such as [M. M. Thomas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._M._Thomas) and [B. R. Ambedkar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._R._Ambedkar), Ayrookuzhiel's work contributed to what came to be known as Dalit Theology — a movement that centred the voices of the marginalised in theological reflection. For him, faith was inseparable from justice, and theology was an active force in transforming both individual and collective life.

His reflections combined deep empathy with analytical rigour. Ayrookuzhiel saw theology as a lived discipline, rooted in people’s struggles rather than confined to institutions. He believed that the task of theology was not only to interpret society but to participate in its transformation. His writings offered a methodology that linked cultural analysis with social justice — a vision that continues to shape theological and sociological discourse in India.

A distinctive feature of Ayrookuzhiel's later writings was his attention to what he called the subversive language of theology. He recognised that marginalised communities express faith not through systematic ideas but through story, humour, and protest. His analysis of the folk ritual of *Pottan Theyyam* in Kerala illustrated this approach. The image of Pottan, a counter-cultural divine figure, embodied resistance to caste oppression and questioned established images of divinity. For Ayrookuzhiel, such songs and performances were not mere folklore; they were theological acts that exposed false hierarchies and affirmed the dignity of the oppressed.

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## Publications and Research

Over the course of his career, Rev. Ayrookuzhiel wrote and edited several books and articles that examined religion from social and cultural perspectives. His major publications include:

### Selected Bibliography

| Year | Title | Role | Publisher / Institution | Description |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 1983 | *The Sacred in Popular Hinduism – An Empirical Study in Chirakkal, North Malabar* | Author | Christian Literature Society (for CISRS) | A sociological study exploring folk religious practices and beliefs among Hindu communities in North Kerala. |
| 1987 | *Swami Anand Thirth: Untouchability, Gandhian Solution on Trial* | Author | ISPCK (for CISRS) | A biographical and critical study of Swami Anand Thirth’s reformist struggle against untouchability in India. |
| 1990 | *The Dalit Desiyata: The Kerala Experience in Development and Class Struggle* | Editor | ISPCK (for CISRS) | Examines the intersections of caste, identity, development, and class politics within Kerala’s social movements. |
| 1992 | *Dalit Kavithakal: Oru Padanam* (Dalit Poems: A Study) | Co-editor | Asian Trading Corporation | Co-edited with M. Sathyaprakasham and Paul Chirakarodu; documents the rise of Dalit poetry as a form of cultural resistance. |
| 1995 | *Dalit Sahityam* (Dalit Literature: A Study) | Co-author | Asian Trading Corporation | Co-authored with Paul Chirakarodu; analyses Dalit literature as an emerging tradition of liberation writing. |
| 2006 | *Essays on Dalits, Religion, and Liberation* | Author | Asian Trading Corporation | A posthumous collection of Ayrookuzhiel’s essays on religion, social justice, and liberation theology. |

### Key Articles and Unpublished Works

- *Dalit Theology: A Movement of Counter-Culture* (1989)  
- *The Dalits, Religions and Interfaith Dialogue* (1994)  
- *Dalit and Hindu Religious Identity* — Unpublished manuscript, incomplete at the time of his death (1996)

At the time of his death, he was preparing a manuscript titled *Dalit and Hindu Religious Identity*, which was intended to explore the relationship between caste identity and faith traditions in India.

In addition to books, he contributed numerous essays to journals, presented papers at international forums, and edited research volumes that connected theological thought with grassroots realities.

Many of his essays, first published in journals such as Religion and Society, were later reissued in the commemorative volume *Essays on Dalits, Religion, and Liberation* (Asian Trading Corporation, 2006). The collection was released by CISRS on the occasion of its Golden Jubilee and the tenth anniversary of Ayrookuzhiel’s death. The publication also acknowledges the contribution of his family and colleagues in preserving his manuscripts and research papers, underscoring his enduring influence on later theological scholarship.

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## Personal Life

Rev. A. M. A. Ayrookuzhiel married Ponnamma Thekedath on 20 April 1971 at the Catholic Church in Königsdorf, near Munich in what was then West Germany. Their engagement had taken place several months earlier, in September 1970, at the Werner Lehmann family home in the Black Forest (Schwarzwald). The two had first met in Bonn in late 1965 or early 1966, when he was travelling from Rome to England for further studies and had stopped in Bonn to apply for a visa. He sent her a telegram about his arrival, and she went to the railway station to meet him, accompanied by someone who came along to help. By that time, he had already spent about two years studying in Rome.

The wedding occurred during the years when Ayrookuzhiel was serving as a curate at St Paul High Anglican Church in Wokingham, Berkshire. After their marriage, the couple moved to Bangalore, where he continued his work with the Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society (CISRS). Their home gradually became a gathering place for colleagues, students, and friends, many of whom visited regularly and often found themselves drawn into long conversations about his research, teaching, and wider questions in theology and society.

They had three sons— Sunil Abraham (born 17 June 1973), Matthew Abraham (born 3 January 1976), and Jacob Abraham (born 5 March 1980). Jacob later married Vini Susan on 7 January 2012. The family remained closely connected to both Kerala and Bangalore, keeping links with relatives, congregations, and the communities where Ayrookuzhiel had lived and worked.

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## Death

A. M. A. Ayrookuzhiel passed away on 29 November 1996, while working on his final book. In his final years he spoke of wanting to complete a major study on Dalit religion and culture, a work he referred to as his magnum opus, but illness prevented its completion. His death brought an end to a career that combined scholarship, activism, and pastoral commitment. Yet his ideas continue to resonate among those exploring the intersections of religion, identity, and social transformation in India.

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## References

- K. C. Abraham, *Foreword to Essays on Dalits, Religion and Liberation* (Bangalore: CISRS / Asian Trading Corporation, 2006).  
- Biographical note, Asian Trading Corporation, Bangalore, India.  
- Publications of Rev. A. M. A. Ayrookuzhiel (1983–1995).  
- Records of the Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society (CISRS).  
- Secondary references from Indian theological and Dalit studies archives.

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## External links
* [Works by A. M. Abraham Ayrookuzhiel](https://search.worldcat.org/en/search?q=au=%22Ayrookuzhiel%2C%20A.%20M.%20Abraham%22) at WorldCat