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altar, Ancient roots of Christianity, Bangalore, Bom Jesu, Bom Jesus, Chennai, Christianity, East India Company, Goa, HCCAR, Holly Michael, Holy Catholic Church Anglican Rite, India, Madras, National Georgraphic, Our Lady of Velankanni, San Thome, Shilpa Joshi, St. Francis Xavier, St. Mary's Basilica in Shivaji Nagar, St. Thomas the Apostle, St. Thome Basilica, The Footsteps of the Apostles, Vicky Drachenberg, Writingstraight.com
During my first visit to India, Shilpa, my niece, handed me a photo. “Christian, Hindu, Muslim,” she said pointing to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. In the photograph, Shilpa, a Christian, and her classmates (Muslim and Hindu) all had roles in their school Christmas pageant. (That’s me and Shilpa to the left. SO to a Shilpa in Bangalore!)
Then, newly married to an Indian native, the photo pleasantly popped one of my preconceived bubbles about India. While I understood Christian missionaries role in evangelizing India, I didn’t realize that, today, many of India’s best schools, hospitals, and social service organizations are run by Christians. And Muslims, Hindus, and those of other faiths study and work alongside Christians in schools and other organizations. Over the years, visiting Christian Holy sites, I’ve been surprised at the faces of various faiths mingled in the crowds.
Ancient Christian roots run deep in India, deeper and more ancient than when the 16th century British arrived to trade under the banner of the East India Company. While the British ruled India for more than two centuries, Christianity first landed on the shores of India with the arrival of St. Thomas the Apostle of Jesus Christ in A.D. 52.
On my first trip to India, my husband and I visited the San Thome Basilica in Chennai, (South India) previously named Madras, (meaning Mother of God).
San Thome is built over the tomb of St. Thomas, who was martyred in India. Only two other basilicas are built over the tomb of an apostle: St. Peter’s in Rome and St. James in Spain (Compestella, Santiago).
Below, my photo of the San Thome sanctuary.
My husband took this photo of me in solemn awe at the tomb of the apostle whom Jesus asked to touch the wounds of his resurrected body and believe.
Recently, while vacationing in Goa (a Portuguese settlement in Western India on the shore of the Arabian Sea) my husband and I visited Bom Jesu (good Jesus) Cathedral.
At this Holy Site, the incorrupt remains of St. Francis Xavier are displayed in a silver casket above a side altar, five hundred years after his death.
I shot the close-up below with a long lens
After leaving Bom Jesu, my husband and I roamed nearby ruins of the Church of St. Augustine, built in 1602 by the St. Augustine Friars. We opened our umbrellas when sudden whooshes of monsoon rains rolled in like a gentle breath.
Over on the shores of the Bay of Bengal in Southern India, a magnificent shrine was built after the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared with Infant Jesus to a Hindu boy under a banyan tree during the sixteenth century.
We visited Our Lady of Velankanni shrine twice. The first time was two weeks after the 2004 tsunami. My husband and I and Vicky Drachenberg (a parishioner), arrived in South India for mission work after our church sponsored a nationwide fundraising event. Though massive devastation surrounded all sides of the church, miraculously, water did not broach the shrine that Sunday morning. Those inside survived.
A few years after the tsunami, we visited the shrine again. Each September 8th, on the feast of our Lady, pilgrims show up in droves, arriving on their knees at the holy site.
On the same day in September, over in South Central India, a sea of devotees flood the festival at St. Mary’s in Shivaji Nagar, Karnataka.
When people ask my husband, an Anglo-Catholic Bishop in the Holy Catholic Church Anglican Rite (HCCAR), how long his family has been Christian, he answers, “Probably since the time St. Thomas came to India.”
Christianity is alive and well in India and has been for a very long time.
More on Christianty’s ancient roots: The National Geographic Magazine’s March 2012 issue features, “The Footsteps of the Apostles,” a piece that includes St. Thomas’ journey to India, along with other apostles’ travels.
Sections of my upcoming novel, Crooked Lines follow the trails of Christianity throughout the subcontinent of India.
Holly, WOW what wonderful images. I would love to visit sites this old — so much history and life. Thanks for sharing! Kim
Your welcome!
What beautiful pictures! 🙂
A history dating from the the Apostle Thomas. Wow, they’re deeply rooted in Church history. I would love to go there someday.
Thanks Amanda. I’ve got thousands of pictures from India churches. Very faithful Christians there.
Oh my goodness, Holly. What an incredible post. Those photographs! And the stories behind them. . .I’m with Kimberly Beer–thanks for sharing this.
Rhonda, thanks!! I had a lot more to share, but thought I’d keep it sort of minimal. Thanks for reading!
Very enlightening blog and I thank you for sharing it. I love the pictures. God Bless.
Thanks Shirley!
Holly, how very fascinating! Your pictures are breathtaking and your stories bring India’s history and Christian influence alive. Great post!
I really enjoy seeing the photographs, and hearing the stories. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome! Thanks for checking it out.
hjmichael@sbcglobal.net Blog: writingstraight.com
Thank you for this posting, it was very enlightening!
Your welcome. retwwet whatever you like. Thanks for checking it out.
Fascinating! I had no idea Christianity had such deep roots in India.
Love the photos. I flew into Chennai after Dehli and went to a retreat two hours away. Thank you for sharing your journey!
What beautiful images and lovely writing. I loved your photographs, and wish i had thought of taking more!
Enjoyed reading. I felt like i was there with you – maybe truly in His spirit. I clicked on the ‘St. Thomas’ link and his story brought a tear – as all truths of the Bible seem to do. We (I?) tend to overlook the part about Thomas’ interaction with Jesus along with the release of his doubt. It is a wonderful story. Especially as it is yet another proof of Jesus and God as One as witnessed by history-proclaimed by Thomas. So glad you shared this and your lesson in early Christianity. -Rick
Thanks Rick. Glad you enjoyed it. India, though considered a mission territory, has pockets of deep Chrstian faith.
I enjoyed this post very much. I have Indian friends named Joseph, John, Thomas, Solomon, Lucas, last name Dave, Mathew, and know that Christianity was in India back to the time of the Apostles. Loved the pictures. Wonderful! We had an almost all Indian team where there were only 3 vegetarians. So not all Indians are Hindu. Lots of Christians.
Beautiful photos. I bet you had a wonderful time, very spiritual and awe inspiring.
Sets my idea of India on its head. I remember my awe in standing in Venice at St. Mark’s tomb – a very provocative post. Thanks for sharing it!
Your welcome. Thanks for coming by.
What beautiful images and a wonderful testament to God’s enduring power.
Thanks Candra!
Holly, loved this post and your pics are amazing! Beautiful architecture, too!
Thanks Lada
Holly, have you investigated the history of Christianity in Ethiopia? It is very fascinating.
No, I haven’t but I bet it’s interesting. Do you know that in India, Good Friday is a public holiday. Too bad it’s not in the US, a Christian nation.
A beautiful ode to the churches of India. I have seen the ones in Goa but have yet to visit the ones in the south. I’va heard a lot about Our Lady of Valankani. A nice write-up with beautiful photographs, Holly.
Thanks Dehlna, I have tons of pictures of visits all around India, of different churches and Holy sites.
Gorgeous pictures! Love this post. 🙂
Thanks Becky!