Bava was born in the ancient orthodox Vallikkattu Karuchira family in Vakathanam, Kottayam district on January 11, 1870. After basic education at his native place, Vakathanam, at Kottayam he mastered in Syriac, the liturgical language of the church. He opted to become a sanyasi priest and at a very young age of sixteen he was ordained as a deacon. The bishop Kadavil Paulose Mar Athanasius (Aluva) was his spiritual teacher with whom he spent years as secretary. He was ordained as a priest and remban by Kadavil Mar Athanasius in ME 1072.