LODGE MINCHIN  

 

HISTORY OF LODGE MINCHIN

The Flash Back on Indian Masonry

Within 12 years of the constitution of the Grand Lodge of England,  a petition was sent by a few Brethren in India to constitute a Provincial Grand Lodge in Calcutta. The Petition was granted and a Provincial Grand Master was appointed to supervise Masonic activity in India and the Far East in 1728 A.D.

Full details regarding how the First Lodge was constituted in India, are preserved in the Minutes of the Grand Lodge in London. First a petition was presented on December 28, 1728 and at the end of the minutes of that meeting, the text of the "Deputation" from the Grand Master reads: "to Empower and Authorize our well beloved Brother Pomfret....(George Pomfret) that he do, in our place and stead, constitute a regular Lodge, in due form at Fort William in Bengal in the East Indies...." This was signed and sealed "the 6th day of February 1728/9 and in the year of Masonry 5732. Apparantly Grand Lodge used Usher's Chronology in dating the Masonic era - as the Grand Lodge of Scotland still does- which is some 4 years more than the conventional addition of 4000 years made to the Anno Domini to obtain the Anno Lucis.

The Lodge at Fort William -- that is, Calcutta -- appears in the Engraved List of 1730, as No. 72. It was to meet at Fort William in Calcutta. The Coat of Arms was adopted from the East India Company - a golden lion, rampant guardant, supporting between the forepaws a regal crown. In 1729, Captain Ralph Farwinter was appointed "Provisional Grand Master for East India in Bengal" and also James Dawson as "Provincial Grand Master" for East Indies. A second Lodge was warranted in 1740 in East Calcutta.

The Provincial Grand Lodge of Madras was formed in 1752 and The Provincial Grand Lodge of Bombay was created in 1758. Although they appeared in the Roll of Grand Lodge, there is no record of how they came into being. As far as the Province of Madras is concerned, the only information available is about the issue of a warrant for a Lodge at Madras in East Indies in 1752, No. 222, and the appointment of Captain Edmund Pascal as the Provincial Grand Master in 1767. Did this Lodge constitute the Provincial Grand Lodge until 1767 by which time 5 lodges were already working ?

The first Indian to see the Masonic Light was Omdat-ul-Omrah, Carnatic Nawab, the eldest son of the Nawab of Arcot, He was  initiated in 1776 at Trichinopoly. But Hindus were not considered for admission because it was believed that they did not believe in one Supreme Being, rather worship many deities. More over, in Bengal,  the bye-law No. 55 of the Provincial Grand Lodge (EC) prevented Indians from being admitted into Freemasonry. The doors to Hindu Masonry was flung wide-open by the unstoppable determination of one Mr. P.C. Dutt of Calcutta to become a member of the craft, after much opposition from the Provincial Grand Master (Hugh Sanderman) and black balling by members, nine years after he was proposed for initiation. In the 1830's the Duke of Sussex proclaimed that the Hindu gods were the personification of a single Supreme Being and this allowed the native Indians to join the Craft. Moreover he said that the religion of the Single Mason was his own concern. Inspite of that Mr. Dutt became Bro. Dutt in Anchor and Hope, No. 234, only in in 1872. Twenty-three years later, he was Deputy District Grand Master. 

One Lodge (No. 234 E.C. whose name is not known) was established in Bombay in 1758 and one 'Lodge of Philanthropists' No. 569 E.C. in Surat in 1798. Lodge Orion in the West No. 598 E.C. (later No. 415 E.C.) was established in Poona. Lodge Perseverance No. 546 E.C., which functions today in Bombay as No. 338 S.C., was founded in 1828 at Bombay, with Bro. J. Lawless as its first Rt. Wor. Master. All these Lodges were under the English Constitution, and the membership was chiefly confined to the European Community.

In Western India, no Indian was admitted to Freemasonry till 1843. Mr. Manockjee Cursetjee, a Parsee gentleman and a merchant, was refused admission by Lodge Perseverance and not taking defeat easily, he went to Europe, and was initiated in France. After his return,  with the support he received from Bro. Dr. James Burnes, the Provincial Grand Master of Western India (S.C.), he established the Lodge Rising Star of Western India No. 342 S.C. on 15th December 1843 for the introduction of "native gentlemen" in the Craft. This meeting was held in the Town Hall, under the Warrant granted by Bro. Dr. James Burnes, the Provincial Grand Master.  Bro. Manockjee Cursetjee became the first Secretary of the Lodge and subsequently became its Rt. Wor. Master on two occasions. He remained an ardent Scottish Mason during his life time.

However, not surprisingly, the anomalies did continue. Some time in 1855, Lodge Rising Star had written a letter enquiring if they could initiate a French gentleman and it was decided by a majority that the interests of the Craft would be best served if "Lodge Perseverance" restricted itself to the reception of Europeans and Lodge "Rising Star" to that of native candidates.

The concept of one masonic jurisdiction for India was not new. On January 31, 1875 "The Grand Lodge of All Scottish Masonry in India" was inaugurated and Bro. Sir Henry Morland installed as the Grand Master Mason {The Grand Master of the Scottish Order is called the Grand Master Mason}. The territory of the Grand Lodge extended to Aden, Burma (Myanmar), Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and even to Iran and Iraq, besides covering the entire pre-partition India. In 1887 Bro. K.R. Cama was appointed the Depute Grand Master of this Grand Lodge, the first Indian to be appointed to such a high post. Earlier, in 1886, Bro. Cama was given the rank of Treasurer in the Grand Lodge of England. (It is not known whether it was an active rank or a past rank of honour). In 1932 Bro. Dr. Sir Temulji Nariman,  was installed as the Grand Master. He was the first Indian to be the Grand Master, and that too at the age of 85 years. In spite of his age, he not only completed more than his term, he continued in full vigour until 1938, when he was called to the Grand Lodge Above. He said that Freemasonry was very much like the oath which Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine required from the initiates of the Medical profession.

In 1962, after the formation of the Grand Lodge of India, the Grand Lodge of All Scottish Masonry in India was split into two District Grand Lodges, for western India and eastern India, the longitude 76�E being the boundary line between the two districts. Between the two districts there were 35 lodges. By 1975 the number in the Eastern district fell to 5 due to the cessation of 4 lodges in Calcutta, and 2 lodges in the west also ceased to function. In 1992 the two districts were merged to form the District Grand Lodge of India with 29 Lodges.

 

History 

Freemasonry Enters India

Flash Back on Indian Masonry

The District of Madras

Masonry in Kerala

The Minchin Heritage

Grand Lodge of India

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The words of  Dr. Dadabhoy Naoroji, the Great Old Man of India, a Member of the British Parliament and a member of Lodge Rising Star of Western India No. 342, said about  his Mother Lodge when he visited Yarborough Lodge No. 811 E.C., Brighton on 20th October 1868 explain the prejudices that existed in those days and at the same time the enlightenment of a few that Masonry is universal:-

"Lodge Rising Star is the first Lodge founded for admitting the natives of India to the privileges of freemasonry. At the time of its institution in 1843, there were supposed to be many difficulties in the way, difficulties of race, difficulties of social custom, of political equality, differences of enlightenment and perhaps many others. But there were stout hearts who, headed by James Burnes, maintained and desired to prove that masonry belonged to no creed or colour, to no climate or race. It was the Universal Patrimony of mankind. It was 'the one touch of nature that makes the whole world kin', and the Lodge Rising Star thus came into existence. The foundation of that Lodge has broken the spell of ages." (Courtesy : District Grand Lodge of India, Scottish Constitution- website http://www.geocities.com/dglindia)

Danish Constitution - Introduced in Tranquebar (near Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu) in 1805. The Danish colony at Tranquebar was fairly numerously populated by Danes. Due to the efforts of one Bro. Ewald a warrant was granted for a Lodge at Tranquebar in 1807 by the National Grand Lodge of Denmark. The name of the Lodge was "De L�amour Fraternelle" (To Brotherly Love).

Dutch Constitution - Lodge Solomon was founded on April 7, 1758 at Tandelga near Chinsurah in Bengal by the commander of the merchant fleet of the Netherlands East India Company, Bro. Jacob Larwood Van Chevichaven.

French Constitution - Lodge Sincere Amite, Pondicherry was chartered in 1787. There were quite a few Naval Lodges. Though Naval Lodges were not recognized by the Grand Lodge of France, the members of the Naval Lodge in due course found their way to get affiliated to and remain under the protection of a stationary Lodge.

Irish Constitution:

Very little information is available in respect of the advent and growth of Irish Lodges in India. All that is presently known is that there were a very few permanent Lodges, which numbered only about 12 at the timof the Concord of 1961. However it is seen that the Irish constitution was the favourite of the armed forces and a large number of army- On Foot and Cavalry Lodges were warranted by the Irish. These Lodges were moved along with the regiments to which they were attached. History of Masonry in Gibraltor has reference to numerous such Lodges . A famous Irish Lodge No.128 in the 39th Regiment of Foot was the second founded in Gibraltar. This was in 1742. It departed in due course when the Regiment moved on and continued in existence until 1872, during which time it was issued with duplicate warrants on no less than three occasions. It is said that the first freemason to be initiated in India was made in this Irish Lodge. The number of military Lodges warranted by the Grand Lodge of Ireland was far greater than those warranted by the other two Constitutions, so much so that the history of military Lodges is largely a history of the Grand Lodge of Ireland.  The 2nd Battalion, RA were still, of course, in Gibraltar at the time of the Great Siege from 1779 to 1783 and records show that when the siege commenced, the Lodge was open and working. The Brethren, all artillerymen, were called from labour to refreshment to man the guns and it was not until early in 1783 that the Brethren again assembled and were called from refreshment to labour,  the Lodge being then closed in due form after three and a half years. It is also recorded that the refreshment afterwards consisted (after a long siege!) of bread, cheese and beer.

 

 

 

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