AN ARCHITECTURAL MARVEL: The St. Stephen`s Church in Udhagamandalam, which is celebrating its 175th year. — Photo: D. Radhakrishnan
Udhagamandalam: St. Stephen`s Church in this hill station, which is steeped in history, is all set to cross another milestone.
An ad-hoc committee is making elaborate arrangements to commemorate its 175 years of existence in a fitting manner early next month. A senior parishner, Ms. Ricketts, who has been attending services at the Church for the past 50 years told The Hindu that while a series of events had been planned, among the highlights would be gospel meetings addressed by Prakash Yesudian between December 2 and 4 at the St. Hilda`s School.
The Special Dedication Service would be held on December 5 at 5 p.m. It would be presided over by the Church of South India Bishop Manickam Dorai. A commemorative souvenir would also be released. The Church has been given a facelift in a phased manner. A total of 92 families and students of the St. Hilda`s School regularly attend service at the church.
Being one of the oldest churches in South India and the oldest in the Nilgiris district, it is situated near the Collectorate junction and commands a magnificent view, compelling tourists and the locals to pause for a while near its gates.
It owes its existence to the initiative of Stephen Rumbold Lushington, the then Governor of the Madras Presidency, who, suggested the establishment of the Church to the East India Company. He laid the foundation for the building on April 23, 1829, the birthday of King George the IV. It was consecrated on December 5, 1830 by Right Rev. Turner, the Bishop of Calcutta.
The teak wood used in the construction of the Church, except that of the gallery, which was added after many years and the panelling, came from Tippu Sultan`s Lal Bagh Palace at Srirangapattanam. The massive beams and tonnes of construction materials were hauled up the steep Sigur Ghat Road by elephants.
Though originally estimated to cost Rs. 8,000, it ultimately cost Rs. 24,117. In the cemetery attached to the Church, among those buried are the wife and two daughters of John Sullivan, the founder of Udhagamandalam and James Wilkinson Breeks, the first Commissioner (Collector) of the Nilgiris