White walls of St. Teresa’s Church, Chennai

The three images were taken a few seconds within each other. The skies changed, the tempo changed and the chapel looked so different.

This is St. Teresa’s Church in Nungambakkam, Chennai, bang opp Ispahani Center.  It has been a landmark of sorts from my college days and recently got a face-lift. The St. Teresa’s Church was established in 1912, houses a school within the walls helping the underprivileged  A few years ago, I also noticed a small prayer spot come up near the main entrance. This Parish was under the control of the Mill Hill Fathers until 1929. Later, it came under the control of the Diocese of Madras. The people at this parish are engaged in uplifting the poor through education.

You can read about the renovations here- The Hindu

Submitting this as part of Wordless Wednesday theme from Chennai Bloggers Club and to my Celebrating Chennai series. :-)

Skywatch Friday... Heavenly

Through the window, i peered out trying to see if the towering chapel was in view,  my neck was starting to hurt and the lady in adjoining seat was giving me a look "are you ok?, is this your 1st time here?". I replied in affirmative to both her questions and was just about to get back to my seat when i spotted the Chapel in all its glory.

The sun was blazing as we hopped out of the bus. I quickly made a beeline for the shade, had a sip of water, wiped the sweat and decided to forge ahead to explore the Church. Situated in Nagapattinam District, along the Coromandel Coast. The most famous significant Roman Catholic shrine dedicated to Our lady of Good Health.

This is probably the only church where people across religions visit. With a rich history dating back to the mid 16th century, there is a legend that is attributed to 3 miracles: the curing of a lame buttermilk vendor, the apparition of Mary & Jesus to a shepherd boy, and the survival of Portuguese sailors who had been assaulted by a violent storm while out in the sea.

As i walked around the Church, the stark resemblence of Gothic style architecture stood out.It is quite imposing building that almost seems to reach the skies. All the buildings are painted in white, but if you look up, you will notice the roof is made of red tiles.

There is also a replica of this church in Chennai, at one end of the Besant Nagar beach, where you will find crowds thronging to say a prayer on Sundays and other special days. My granpa believes in the powers of the Mother Mary hailing at Velankanni Church deeply.. Infact, if anyone at home is ill, including the cow or the dog, he immediately sends a contribution with a letter, and receives a word of thanks along with a photograph of the Mother.. He believes the Mother has helped him tide over quite a few difficult situations. So, it was a special moment for me visiting the church, and being in the main chapel. I lit a few candles, one for each member of the family, and one for friends, said a prayer before moving on. 

I also noticed a row of shops just outside where they sold small metal pieces of eyes, legs, human figure and many others. Apparently, if you have an ailment in the eye, you drop a eye piece in the donation box, and there is one of a couple, meant for those eager to get married :-)

The church took quite a beating during the 2006 Tsunami, with many devotees being washed away. And that is when they had to rebuild pieces of the church, and today it looks just as amazing as it did before.. [yes, i did manage to do a visit post the Tsunami with friends]

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Skywatch Friday... Armenian Church

And finally, i was headed towards Armenian Street across from the High court to explore the Armenian Church. It had been on my mind forever, and to think i was standing at the door talking to the security guard about the place, it felt surreal..

The 18th century Armenian Church stood hidden away inside Armenian Street in Parry's Corner. The street is filled with hawkers and small shacks and yet nobody really knew where the church was.. At first, they pointed out to the St Mary's church few yards into the road saying "that must be it".. but i did manage to find the Armeninan church and explore the place...

Once upon a time, Chennai was filled with Armenian merchants, but today, only stories about these traders remains... The only trace of Armenians is the church and the Cemetery around on a street named after them.

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The other side of Goa

After visiting the most popular sights in Goa-  exploring Fort Aguada, strolling along the Anjuna Beach & the flea markets, going on a Dolphin cruise, and exploring Colva beach where I managed to let go of my fears and go para sailing, I was now eager to explore the other side to Goa- The Old Goa as it is called. Also known as Goa Velha ["Velha" in Portugese means Old], it is located on the banks of the River Mandovi  about 9 Kms Panaji, Goa's Capital.

Anjuna beach

Riding the bus to Panaji, I chatted up with the lady sitting beside me asking her if she knew anything about this part of Goa. She went on to tell me that the town was once a major Portuguese stronghold and before that was the capital of Bijaipur Kingdom as well. But apparently, most of the forts, weaponry, and traces of the era gone by have gone missing with time. Even though there has been a decline in heritage over centuries, the town is well maintained, inspite of the large influx of visitors year round. "You should explore the churches and temples there" she said before going on her way.

I got off in Panaji where the tour guide reccomended by a friend waited. He took over from where the lady had left off to shed more light on the history behind Old Goa. "The town was earlier surrounded by a fortified wall with barracks, a hospital and the prison. Europeans who ruled the region have left behind quite an impression apart from architectural marvels. I will show you some of the famous churches in this region for you to understand better."

 

Along the Mandovi River

Within minutes we were on a road flanked on either side by a Grand church. "On your right is the Basilica of Bom Jesus and across the road is the Se Cathedral. Why dont you go explore the Bom Jesus Basilica first?" he said before wandering off to chat with some friends.

Basilica of Bom Jesus is a Church marked as a World Heritage Site standing tall but without a towering cross on top. Apparently in its place was a Hindu temple which the portugese demolished to erect the church on.. And the cross they installed kept falling off due to natural calamities, till finally they realised something bigger was in power there and so the church stands tall without a Cross.

Basilica of Bom Jesus

The interiors are overwhelming, huge ceilings, beautiful art work.. its absolutely breathtaking. The church houses two chapels, a main altar, a sacristy and a belfry at the back. Apart from these, the church also has a rich collection of paintings related to various instances from the life of St. Francis Xavier.Altars dedicated to St. Michael and to Our Lady of Hope are also present.

The church houses the sacred relics of St. Francis Xavier, patron saint of Goa. St Francis Xavier is also known as "Goencho Saib" meaning "Lord of Goa". The saint died while on a sea voyage to China on December 2,1552. In accordance with his wishes , his remains were transferred to Goa the following year. Before I knew it, nearly an hour had passed. Making my way out onto the street to explore the Se Cathedral I noticed the guide lost in conversation.

Se Cathedral 

Inside Se Cathedral

The largest church in Old Goa, Se Cathedral is dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria. This Renaissance cathedral was designed in the 16th century and took nearly 80 years to complete. I noticed there was only one  bell tower, apparently the other collapsed way back in 1776 when it was struck by lightening  The interiors are filled with intricate detailing, the focal point is the 249 feet long central nave and a gilded high altar dedicated to St. Catherine.As you walk around , you will see the 15 additional altars inside the cathedral. What a beautiful building that was. I could have spent all day there, but I was thirsty for more...

I quickly made an exit towards our vehicle only to find the guide waiting there for me. "Shall we go? I have few more surprises to show you", he chirped! I wondered what could be more magical than these structures I had just visited...

This post was also submitted on Club Mahindra's Blog

Lady of Lourdes Church,Trichy

As we wandered around near the bus stand, the distant sound of a bell reached my ears. I instantly started looking around to see where it came from. An old lady walking nearby seeing my puzzled face touched my arm and motioned towards the further ahead on the road. "Athu church lerundu varumma, poi paaru, atho anga irukku [ The sound is coming from the church nearby, go see it, it is just around the corner]". And true to her words, there it was, the beautiful structure standing tall amidst all the small roadside shops. The Rockfort Temple's tank was just across the road. 

We had reached the Lady of Lourdes Church in Trichy. Apparently this Church of our Lady of Lourdes is an exact replica of the Basilica of Lourdes in southern France and is over 100 years old. The architecture, style, and craftsmanship is overwhelmingly beautiful.

 The exterior is done up with intricate sculptures and the patterns are all so minute, it is amazing that people of those days had so much creativity and skill.  As we entered the church, the sheer space had us going "Wow, to think we almost missed visiting here". The pews are all arranged neatly, and there were a few sitting in silence praying.   As you look up, the stained glass panels depicting stories from the Bible are truly beautiful, and the sun's rays seem to add life to the people in the windows.  

Photo of the sculptures on the exterior taken on Canon [film camera]

Near the alter, we noticed a long pedestal of sorts with flowers and little bundles, what looked like rolled up paper. One of the priests who was there told us it was prayers left by those who came to the church, and told us that we could also leave a note and be assured it will come true! 

I did write a small note and when i was looking for something to tie it with, a woman who i spotted earlier praying gave me a piece of string, smiled and put her hand on my head "May Jesus be with you my child". I stood there smiling, almost sheepishly. 

Photo of the full facade on Canon [film camera]

A hand on my shoulder jolted me back to reality. We then wandered the corridors of the Church before making a beeline for the exit.Just as we were putting on our shoes, A man approached us asking if we had 2mins to spare. Without pausing for a breath he went on about how he was very poor & unwell and needed money to go to the doctor. An elderly man who was just entering the Church shooed the man away and told us "he comes here everyday ma, is piss drunk and takes money from people saying he is unwell only to go get drunk once again".. "have you been inside the Church? where are you from?"... 

We answered him and quickly walked across the road towards the Rockfort temple... 

Wesley Church,Chennai

Another beautiful Church that i am yet to pause and enjoy is the Wesley Church in Egmore. Built by the Methodists in 1905, it is part of the Church of South India, Madras Diocese. The brick exterior is something that i love, which is probably why  i take pictures of the church everytime i pass by.

Riding home from the Central Station, i strain my neck out the auto rickshaw to catch a glimpse of this landmark building before the trees block my view... 

The 1st picture was taken during a Photowalk and 2nd during a visit to uncle's home.... 

Skywatch Friday -- St Stephen's Church, Ooty

Was taking a break from work and glancing through my photo albums when i stumbled upon the one titled "Ooty". Its been 2years since my last visit and i sure hope i get the chance to revisit the hill station. 

Back in school when i had visited Ooty 1st time, the toy train had us all in squeals, laughing and cheering on.. And later, when we visited Ooty during my MBA days for a holiday + workshop, we were enjoying the sights and scenes that came along with us. We were 4 close friends who wandered the town, took off on our own looking for hidden treasures, got into trouble for being late to the workshop sessions, but at the end we had FUN! 

The most recent trip was just me.. I travelled by Bus both ways, a good 12hour journey made easy thanks to music, book and decent company... 

Many who visit Ooty only know of the usual tourist spots.. But during my last trip, while i aimlessly roamed the winding path, i stumbled upon this magnificent church. Asked the cab to pull over and decided to explore a bit...

St Stephen's Church

 The Church is a Gothic church and is one of the best known colonial structures in Ooty.  The church was apparently constructed and carved totally from wood. The interiors are beautiful and it was cooler than outside..probably because of the wood. Stories around the Church say that the wood was brought from Tipu Sultan's palace and was transported to Ooty through elephants.

The Stained glass images were beyond beautiful.. Words dont do justice...

There is also a life size portrait of the Last Supper near the doorway...

Info from the net:

The pulpit is on the left of the chancel and attached to it is a small flight of steps. A pleasant surprise awaits one in the attic of the third tier of the church. Here, instead of the big metallic bell, one comes across novel but antique hammer like structures (four in number) tied on to inverted "V" Shaped planks, with ropes. There are four thick iron bars on the Eastern as well as the Western side screwed on to thick wooden beams and they hang from above at different heights in a slanting fashion, and face each other. There are pulleys attached with solid wires, which operate the hammers, and which reach the ground floor through the gaps in between the planks on the floor. The entire structure is housed on a tall, sturdy stool, which is open on all the fourth sides. When the wires are pulled from the floor, a rhythmic musical sound is produced..  [Source: http://www.tamilnadu-tourism.com/tamil-nadu-temples/st-stephens-church.html]

I walked around the campus, taking in the beautiful architecture when suddenly the security guard came over and asked me to leave as it was closing time....

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Skywatch Friday -The Cross

The Santhome Basilica, Chennai is an architectural marvel that holds my attention every time i drive past it. The pristine white walls, the pointed structure, and the cross on top- Quite a sight!! 


The Three different moods of the Church taken at different times......................... 

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Skywatch Friday/ Project365 Day 11 - Towering heights

Few days ago, while returning home from a meeting,passed by the Santhome Church and paused for a minute.. The Church always has me in awe, mesmerized almost... Today too, asked the driver to stop the car for a minute, hopped out onto the platform and stared at the church for a few minutes before a traffic cop came asking us to move...

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Churches temples and people... Goa Part 3

Part 1 and Part 2 .. here's what else i was upto~!! :)

Goa's symbol.. emblem!!

After a long day going about North Goa, i got back to the hotel, freshen up, go for a walk to Candolim beach and chill out the rest of the day... It sure was good to wander about on my own.. Kinda rejuvenating~!! and sort of a "I could get used to this" feel...

 

 My orange bus made an entry and it was full.. i had to go all the way to the last row... with nearly 10  pairs of eyes piercing into me, it sure was an experience..!! At the nextstop, 3elderly men hopped in... during travels, what fascinates me the most is people and how initially they are on guard, but slowly warm up and start talking once they realise you are no threat nor are you an alien... these guys did just that!! as the day wore on, we started chit chatting to a point where one of them gave into temptation, borrowed my camera and was oggling at all the pics..

A conversation we had towards end of the day.

Him: He then went on to ask "how can i get a copy of these pics ,madam?"

Me: Sir, i could email them to you

Him: Oh, but we dont know all that... our office has one.. wait, let me call

Madam, you speak to the person, and ask for the email address

Me: *I did that.... *

Him: Err.. would there be any cost involved in sending the pics? i'll pay you for it

Me - had a *totally surprised and "wow, such innocent ppl do exist"* moment. 

No no, no worries.. it will take few mins amidst my work time.. no cost

Him: Thank you so much

 

 Anyways... back to my trip... 2nd day tour was South Goa with an interesting Guide- Digambar [looked very hippyish, and said he was portugese, spending half the year in Portugal and remaining in Goa] ... Started with Miramar beach- quite a nice one... neat, clean, and long stretch of sand....

 

 From there, we moved on to check out the 2 famous churches in Goa , there is one on either side of the road - Basilica of Bom Jesus and St Catherine's Cathedral ...  beautiful, amazing architecture and huge are words that come to my mind as i recollect them.....

1st was Basilica of Bom Jesus- a church without a cross on top.. Apparently in its place was a Hindu temple which the portugese demolished to erect the church on.. And the cross they installed kept falling off due to natural calamities, till finally they realised something bigger was in power there and so the church stands tall without a Cross... The interiors are overwhelming, huge ceilings, beautiful art work.. its absolutely breathtaking...

---

The Preserved body of St Francis....

The St Catherine's Cathedral across the road is long and supposed to be among the largest Cathedral's in the world.. Quite a walk from the gate to the church and inside as well ..

one can get lost in its beauty and calmness... as we walk out, there are rows of vendors waiting to treat you with cold water, drinks, fruits and hawkers selling bags, postcards and other knick knacks!!

From churches, we moved to Temples... South Goa has quite a few... but we saw only 2 popular ones... Mangueshi Temple and then Shantadurga temple...

The Mangueshi Temple is dedicated to Lord Mangueshi, an incarnation of Shiva. He is a kuldevta of many Hindus in Goa including the Saraswat Brahmins. He is also referred to as Saib (The Lord of Goa) by Hindus.. Had to walk in the blazing sun for quite a bit, and then a few steps to reach the temple... This is where i gave in to tempation and got myself a Goa tattoo.. ;-) ...

It was time to stop for lunch, and the eatery was close to Shantadurga temple.. Some had lunch and then visited the temple, while others did the opposite..

 The Shantadurga temple has an impressive idol of Goddess Shree Durga who mediated between Shree Vishnu and Shree Shiva and stopped the fiercefull war going on between the two. She is flanked by Vishnu and Shiva on both the sides.

One common thing in these temples is the style of architecture.. if you see one, you've seen them all!! notice the pillar?

Sitting and waiting for our driver ...

Ok.. time to go catch some zzz now.. more in a while.....

Sun sand and the beaches.. Goa, part 1

“Just got for it girl, go on , have a lovely time” was all it took to convince me that i can make the trip on my own... Was used to travelling alone, and so this was nothing new... where was i headed? Goa....

Accommodation: Taken care of, it was the birthday gift from Anita...

Transportation: I had to just book train tickets... rest of it will happen as I land in Goa....

The date was set... I was booked on 30^th Oct, in the sleeper Class in the Chennai Margao train, leaving Chennai central at 1.45pm, and reach Margao, Goa around 12.30pm next day [yep, nearly 24hrs, and it plies only on Fridays from Chennai and Goa] !!! Wasn’t really sure what to expect on the train, but what i did see and enjoy beats anything that could have envisioned up in my head... initially the coach was empty, but soon filled up, and I even managed to make 2friends, a guy and a gal travelling to Goa, their 1^st time as well.. We shared tit bits, news, wondered about food on the train, shouted when we crossed tunnels, swapped chips and drinks through our windows ... good fun... J

Dhoodhsagar falls that is a sight for sore eyes.. supp to be even more beautiful during rainy season...

Heart was beating fast, and a new sense of excitement filled me as i landed in Goa... An elderly gentleman helped me find a cab to Bardez, near Calangute, which is where Sterling Sunshine Park Resort was [this was their leased accommodation].. 

Church of our Lady of the Immaculate Conception facade, Panaji. Goa

Took nearly an hour, but the roads were beautiful, some going up, others winding down. The cabbie was my tour guide, pointing out to places, temples and even the wholesale fish market near Panjim, which i crossed a zillion times during my stay in Goa.

Checked into my room, and fuelled myself with some lunch before heading off to explore the town, and figure out if there were any city tours that i could hop onto.  Decided to just hop on the local bus to Calangute market[ here buses are super comfy, they stop at the sight of a person on the road, small buses, and cost of ticket was Rs5], found a travels guy, spent an hour yakking away, and booked myself on 2 tours- the North Goa and South Goa. Thought that was the best way to get a feel of the town, and make the most of the 4days I was there. Fernandez, an interesting man shared information about Goa, his experiences in other parts of the country and about Chennai as well.

Renowned  for its shimmering beaches, architecturally rich churches, beautiful temples, not to forget feni, sinful local delights and water adventures, Goa sure lived up to its fame!!!  I never thought I would enjoy myself this much.. With advice and suggestions from friends, i was armed with enough information and looked forward to exploring ever inch of this town... J

Sunday morning 8.30am I was ready and waiting for the North Goa tour bus.... Around the bend i saw the orange colour of the bus appear, that was to be my ride for the day... I was the only one travelling alone, which was a surprise to many!!!  

The 1^st stop for the day was Dolphin cruise in the ocean, near Fort Aguada... What fun it was..  we were taken into the ocean, to a spot where Dolphins frequent, and waited for half hour before one made an appearance. They teased us , jumping into the water showing only their fins... There were about 10boats, and the minute another boat saw a dolphin all would rush to that spot [am sure the dolphins were playing a game of cat and mouse with us] ,like this the tour continued for an hour... we ended up spotting about 4dolphins.. but the sights and scenes around were worth the ride... mountains filled with lush greenery, the Fort aguada sitting majestically on top, the old and new light house.. 

The Goa jail [which was underground] and the Diamond smugglers’ palace on the mountain... Wow... beautiful~!!!

From there, we drove on to spend a few mins at the famous Dil Chahta Hai’s Fort Aguada...

Would have been fun had it not been blazing hot... Click click and back in the bus onto Vagator Beach – beautiful... Noticed that in goa,  beaches don’t have direct access, unlike in Chennai!!! Vagator has us climbing up and over quite a few steps.... rugged path.. rocky.. but picturesque..

Following that we stopped at a govt authorized booze store for those who wanted to load up on local  stuff... urs truly also bought some!!! ;) Go to goa and  not bring back Port wine and Feni..!!! tsk tsk..  J Following that we headed to Anjuna beach, called the Rocky beach, it is famous for Wednesday flea market... 

if you enlarge the pic, you can see a dog taking shelter right under the shade near the rock

This woman was from a nearby village.. asked to pose for a pic, she gave a big smile and said i will, but you should but something from my shop...!! Bot a pouch a bracelet... 

Risk it and find your way to the beach, but on the shore, you find a lot of locals selling stuff – bags, trinkets, T shirts, temporary goa tattoo and booze.... i did come back here to do a bit of shopping and lounge at Curlies [highly recco. by a friend of mine]...  

...... where else did I go? read on.......