one among them sings the exploits of a hero or deity and then throws the dice. The next woman then interrogates her in verse and then flings the dice. The last assails the doubts of the second in a verse and then flings the dice. The verses thus sung are called Ammāṉai and are set in folk rhythm. Pope mentions that six maidens play with balls and sing simple poetic verses accompanying the swift throw of the ball. The verses describe the exploits of a hero or deity.⁵ This form of Tamil poetry is nearly as old as the Tiruvācakam and we find 20 verses of it in this work. Since verses singing the glories of a deity were also included, they became popular as religious pieces. This is evident since it has found its way into the Tiruvācakam. Beschi did not fail to recognise the importance of these songs and it was but natureal that he should ingeniously introduce a Catholic Saint and sing her praises in this kind of poetry. This was the Kittēri-ammāḷ Ammaṉai in which the miraculous deeds of St. Kittēri are narrated along with her life sketch.

Beschi did not adhere strictly to the original version of this saint’s story. He altered the story of this virgin saint to suit his ends. The original says that only the last twin girls were ordered to be flung into the river.⁶ In Beschi’s version, the mother produces simultaneously nine girls and being ashamed of it, she requests her maid–who was a Catholic–to drown all the nine children in the river. One among these girls is Kittēriammā who out-shines all her other sisters. These girls are not drowned. They survive and later, offer themselves to God.

Kittēriammāḷ performs a number of miracles. Belief in miracles is common to both the Hindu and Christian minds. The supernatural incidents recounted are not new. A little probing into this folk poem will reveal the sentiments, anxieties and reflections of the 18th century Roman Catholics. Those who had embraced the Catholic faith were not always firm and steadfast

5. Pope : Tiruvācagam, P. 177

6. Gnanaprakasam, R. (S. J.); (Ed.); Kittēriammāḷ ammāṉai; 1947 (Story given by Boll-Andrils)