Viswakarma Thattan

The Thattans belong to the Viswakarma group, traditionally associated with the divine architect and craftsman figure of Hinduism, which brings together different craft castes according to the material worked: metal, wood, stone. This common origin is, by tradition, divided among five lineages of artisans, among which the goldsmiths' lineage corresponds to the Thattans. By specializing in gold and silver work in Kerala, the Thattans consolidated, over generations, a place of their own as jewelers within the region's social structure, maintaining to this day marriage, inheritance, and burial customs that set them apart from other neighboring Hindu castes.

Jewelry making is the craft that identifies the Thattans: many own jewelry shops or work with gold and silver, a knowledge passed down from generation to generation. Others own land, and families with access to higher education value a university degree as a path to advancement, taking up administrative and office positions.

Kinship ties are close: marriages between cousins are common, and remarriage after divorce is accepted without major stigma. When the father dies, sons and daughters divide the inheritance in equal shares, with the eldest son taking on responsibility for the family home.

The Thattans are Hindus, and their faith is intertwined with their very caste identity: by tradition, they trace their origin and craft to Vishwakarma, the divine architect and craftsman, patron of those who work with their hands and with metal. This devotion links the goldsmith’s daily work to a sacred sense of inherited calling.

Religious practice blends with customs specific to the community, such as burying the dead instead of the cremation more common among Hindus, showing that Thattan faith carries specific caste marks within the broader Hindu world.

The Thattans speak, read, and write in Malayalam, a language with a Bible tradition dating back to the early nineteenth century and with a complete Bible for more than a hundred years, along with revised editions in contemporary language. Access to the text is therefore not the main obstacle: the challenge lies in bringing that Word, already available for generations, to a community that has never received it as a living testimony within its own caste.

Being Thattan in Kerala means belonging to a goldsmith caste with a defined place within Hindu society, and embracing Christ is seen as breaking with that collective identity without the support of the wider community. Since there are no reports of Christians among the Thattans, anyone who decides to follow Jesus faces this path alone, which increases the risk of turning back under family and social pressure.

As in any community organized by caste and trade, the greatest challenge facing the Thattans is not material but relational: the absence of any Christian testimony within the group itself means there is, today, no natural bridge between faith in Jesus and Thattan identity. What is missing is a first step, someone to show that following Christ does not require ceasing to be Thattan.

There is also a need for follow-up and community for anyone who eventually draws near to the gospel, so that this person does not have to face alone the weight of a decision that breaks with such deeply rooted family and social expectations.