Forgotten churches of India – Firstpost
At Christmas time, when churches across India and the world are bedecked at their finest, some historical churches in remote corners lie quiet and isolated. The common thread between them is that all of these came up in the colonial era, and once the British left, their congregation also dropped. In some ways, the development of these churches mirrors the advance of the British in India, and their isolation reflects the departure of the colonial masters. Here’s a snapshot of some from across India:
Karnal, Haryana
From 1806, Karnal was a British garrison town, and an important stopover on the road connecting Delhi with Lahore. Troops deployed here played a role in the Anglo-Sikh wars, amongst various conflicts the East India Company entered, in its quest for pan-subcontinent control. Within the cantonment was the St James Church, of the Anglican tradition. Its tower was apparently built with public contributions.
By 1841, the climate of the town was deemed unhealthy, and this triggered a shift to nearby Ambala. The church too was shifted brick by brick and rebuilt there. However, the tower was left behind and that is how it stands today, like a straggler from history.
While the church was gone, the graveyard around it remained in use. Among those buried here is General George Anson, Commander-in-Chief of the British Forces in India in 1857. On hearing of the mutiny, he began moving from Shimla towards Delhi. While on the march, he died of cholera and was buried at Karnal. His remains were moved to England a few years later but the memories stay in Karnal, in the shadow of the church tower.
A footnote about the new church that was built in Ambala – this structure found itself next to an Indian Air Force base which became a target for the Pakistanis in the 1965 war. An air raid saw the church being hit. In a travesty of fate, the new church is ruined while the forgotten church tower in Karnal stands tall.
Nowgong, Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh
At the beginning of the 19th century, the Marathas ceded certain parts of Bundelkhand to the British under the Treaty of Bassein. Many local rulers were given ‘sanads’ (leases) by the British for parts of land here and a political officer was attached to British forces in the area for managing relations with these ‘sanad’ states.
Amidst this, the cantonment of Nowgong – derived from Nayagaon – was established in 1842-43 and later enlarged after acquiring more land from Chhatarpur state. The region saw extensive violence in the 1857 revolt and old records were destroyed. In 1859, Nowgong became the first headquarters of the Bundelkhand Political Agency. It was in this era of the 1860s that the Cantonment Church was built here. Nowgong also housed a school to train army soldiers as officers, called Kitchener College. While the town had its day in the military sun, little is known about the church itself.
By 1950, the congregation had dwindled and in 1964, even Kitchener College shifted to Pune. While the cantonment is in the past, the church still stands. A local told this author that priestly visits are only once a week at best. With Khajuraho a short drive away, tourists rarely stop to look at Nowgong’s contribution to history.
Shettihalli, Hassan, Karnataka
By 1860, the wars were over, and the British could afford to sit back and build estates for themselves. It is perhaps keeping this in mind that missionaries built the Rosary Church next to the Hemavathi River. Imagine European families coming from their estates in the rural community every Sunday, for prayers at this magnificent example of Gothic architecture.
The contrast with today couldn’t be greater. The stained glass that once decorated its windows is long gone as is the congregation of its faithful. In 1960, a dam built on the Hemavathi created a reservoir. Villages in the vicinity emptied out and the church too was abandoned. In the monsoon, water floods the entire area and virtually swallows the church, and today, it has become known as the ‘Floating Church’ and a destination for Instagrammers.
Credit must be given to the French missionaries who built the church that despite water damage for more than six decades, its towering columns and arched walls still stand. It is said that along with the traditional brick and mortar, Egyptian gypsum, jaggery and eggshells were also used in the building, apart from Belgian glass for the windows.
Bandikui, Dausa district, Rajasthan
In 1874, two decades after the Railways arrived in India, the first train drove into what is now Rajasthan. The idea was to link Agra with Ajmer, both held by the British. Some changes in an earlier plan saw the line being brought through Bandikui. A hitherto unknown place suddenly found itself on a map.
With the train line came a railway station and a yard, and that brought people to maintain and run the place. And their families. This included a sizeable number of British folks too. In 1883, the St. John the Baptist Anglican Church was built. If the date is entirely accurate, as is believed to be, this is the oldest extant church structure in Rajasthan, with the Shepherd Memorial Church of Udaipur being dated to 1887.
Unlike the churches in Karnal and Shettihalli, this church seems intact. Built of locally available sandstone and standing by itself in large grounds, the structure is elegant with a stunning bell tower rising high. In a town filled with late 19th and early 20th century buildings, both offices and residential, all of which were built for a railway community, the church is by far the standout structure.
However, the church’s elegance is now only superficial. A place that was once the congregation point for both British and Anglo-Indians saw a massive drop in its Christian population after Independence. From about 60 families in 1950, there is only one Protestant family left in the town now. The place lacks a protective wall and is vulnerable to anyone looking to encroach or walk in. Windows have been broken, benches stolen and even the Baptism pool broken, leaving the place a hollow shell that needs to be preserved.
The concluding story is the same – a tale of dwindling following causing the churches to become irrelevant. If the structures are to survive, perhaps the answer lies in their being preserved as museums of the past.
The author is a heritage explorer by inclination with a penchant for seeking obscure sites. A brand consultant by profession, he tweets @HiddenHeritage. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.
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