Kerela is a place not just famous for its
serene natural beauty but also for its religious pilgrimage locations. Kerela
due to its enormous range of Pilgrimage centers is also termed as “Gods own
Country” and is the sole place that gave birth to Ayurvedic ailments. The place
is worth a visit anytime of the year and its benevolent residents make the
visit a joyful and exciting experience.
Christianity found its roots here with the
arrival of St.Thomas long long ago and found a permanent home among the people.
The place holds numerous churches and some of them very ancient ones. Every
church has its own backdrop and story and holds an importance for its
historical event .Visit from devotees from near and far and prayer offerings
for the well being of a loved one including devotees from other religion as
well is a normal view around these age old monuments.
One of the vital and popular pilgrimage centers
is the Malayattoor Mountain
Top church. The place holds its importance recording the incident where
St.Thomas was attacked by the local tribes when he first offered his prayers
after he landed on Kerela. There is a belief that his prayers made a Golden
Cross to appear in place of a rock that melted into bloods. It is due to this
belief that this pilgrimage center is considered one of the holiest among
Indian Christians. The church is located 10 km away from the town of Kalady
and the holy cross is situated at an
altitude of about 3000.
Churches as The Synod of Diamper, St.Mary's
Forane ,Kadamattom Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church are a countable few that are
considered to be the most sacred and ancient ones. The 1000 year old St. Mary's
Church actuality is one of the acclaimed crude centers of the Christians in
Kerala. It is believed to have been built since Mother Mary appeared to a few
children and asked them to build up a church. It holds a spring that exists
even today that had sprouted when it was built. The immensely popular Kadamattom
Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church was built in 6th century AD and lie just 35 Kms
from the town of Kochi. The church was actually built by a Hindu Brahmin family
that had converted to Christianity. Hence the church witnesses a rare
combination of Hindu and Christian customs. Moreover the Indo-Persian
architecture with its mixture of Kerelan Hindu architecture gives the church an
identity of its own and makes it unique among the rest. The establishment of many
Hindu temples in an around the Kadamattom Kattanar cites an example of peace
and harmony among people irrespective of religions. Similarly, St.George Forane
Church Aruvithura is one of the oldest churches in Kerala built almost around in
the first century A.D.
There are couples of more such churches and
the count goes on as you can find a church under every nook and corner of the
street. Visiting these churches not just purifies the soul but also enlightens
our mind and spirit that fills us with positivity and an entirely divine touch.
It would definitely change the entire perspective of looking into one’s life
completely.
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