You probably know by now that Thomas the Apostle, the one known as Doubting Thomas, came to South India to teach and was eventually killed here in Chennai. We had been to the St. Thomas Basilica (and here and here) several times, and also to St. Thomas Mount, where he was killed, but we could never manage to find the cave in which he hid for some time before his death. People kept telling us it was in the Little Mount, or Chinnamalai, area of town, but we couldn't find it.
Then we went to a wedding at our church (which also happens to be in Chinnamalai), and we had to kill some time between the ceremony and the reception, which was going to be held about a block away. A couple of church members said, "Hey! Let's go see the cave!" What?! All this time it was a short walk from our own church! We'd been within a few hundred feet of the place every Sunday for over a year.
We went on a short explore that evening, and then we returned a few days later with the kids in tow.
Portuguese Jesuits built a Catholic church, Our Lady of Health Church, at the cave site when they were in power in the 1500s. Here's the Pongal kolam in front of the main building.
You can enter the small cave through a door in a tiny, older church, now used as a kind of shrine. Here's Johnny at the door ...
Evie and Johnny are peeking through the hole through which Thomas is said to have escaped the cave when his killers came after him. There's a handprint on the wall there that they say belongs to Thomas.
A statue of Thomas in the cave ...
Johnny and Samuel holding up the roof ...
There's a natural spring nearby, which is now protected by a small building. This man will get you a cup of holy water, if you want it. The spring is said to be a miracle of St. Thomas, who smote the rock to create the spring for his thirsty followers ...
This man asked Johnny to be in a photo of him accepting the holy water. I just love how our family becomes part of the tourist attraction (sometimes I hate it, too) ...
The rest of the grounds are covered in statues that represent the Stations of the Cross and also scenes from the life of Thomas. I like this Sermon on the Mount-like depiction of Thomas teaching in India. Notice the peacocks in the background ...
Apparently our new church building is on land that was once owned by Our Lady of Health Church and is one of several Christian churches in the area. Chennai was once segregated by religion (most Christians lived near Little Mount and most Muslims lived near the Thousand Lights mosque), and those neighborhoods are still heavily Christian and Muslim today. Our friends Suyash and Cheryl are having difficulty finding a new apartment in the city, partly because so many places are for vegetarians (read Hindu) only. It seems to me that segregation for whatever reason only leads to less understanding and more fear, so I hope for more elbow-rubbing in the future.
Despite occasional friction (and violence) between religions in India, though, it astounds me that most of the time everyone gets along just fine, especially here in the South. They don't do it by hiding their faith, either, but by allowing everyone to wear it on their sleeves (or foreheads or headscarves or jewelry). Public places often include Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, and Christan symbols. I often think we Westerners are misled in our desire to hide it all away for fear of offending someone.
Before I descend from my soapbox, I want to add how exciting it's been to let our kids see and learn so much from faiths so different from our own. In finding the similarities and differences, I hope they cement their own knowledge of the truth and grow up with respect and love for those who believe differently.
Then we went to a wedding at our church (which also happens to be in Chinnamalai), and we had to kill some time between the ceremony and the reception, which was going to be held about a block away. A couple of church members said, "Hey! Let's go see the cave!" What?! All this time it was a short walk from our own church! We'd been within a few hundred feet of the place every Sunday for over a year.
We went on a short explore that evening, and then we returned a few days later with the kids in tow.
Portuguese Jesuits built a Catholic church, Our Lady of Health Church, at the cave site when they were in power in the 1500s. Here's the Pongal kolam in front of the main building.
You can enter the small cave through a door in a tiny, older church, now used as a kind of shrine. Here's Johnny at the door ...
Evie and Johnny are peeking through the hole through which Thomas is said to have escaped the cave when his killers came after him. There's a handprint on the wall there that they say belongs to Thomas.
A statue of Thomas in the cave ...
Johnny and Samuel holding up the roof ...
There's a natural spring nearby, which is now protected by a small building. This man will get you a cup of holy water, if you want it. The spring is said to be a miracle of St. Thomas, who smote the rock to create the spring for his thirsty followers ...
This man asked Johnny to be in a photo of him accepting the holy water. I just love how our family becomes part of the tourist attraction (sometimes I hate it, too) ...
The rest of the grounds are covered in statues that represent the Stations of the Cross and also scenes from the life of Thomas. I like this Sermon on the Mount-like depiction of Thomas teaching in India. Notice the peacocks in the background ...
Apparently our new church building is on land that was once owned by Our Lady of Health Church and is one of several Christian churches in the area. Chennai was once segregated by religion (most Christians lived near Little Mount and most Muslims lived near the Thousand Lights mosque), and those neighborhoods are still heavily Christian and Muslim today. Our friends Suyash and Cheryl are having difficulty finding a new apartment in the city, partly because so many places are for vegetarians (read Hindu) only. It seems to me that segregation for whatever reason only leads to less understanding and more fear, so I hope for more elbow-rubbing in the future.
Despite occasional friction (and violence) between religions in India, though, it astounds me that most of the time everyone gets along just fine, especially here in the South. They don't do it by hiding their faith, either, but by allowing everyone to wear it on their sleeves (or foreheads or headscarves or jewelry). Public places often include Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, and Christan symbols. I often think we Westerners are misled in our desire to hide it all away for fear of offending someone.
Before I descend from my soapbox, I want to add how exciting it's been to let our kids see and learn so much from faiths so different from our own. In finding the similarities and differences, I hope they cement their own knowledge of the truth and grow up with respect and love for those who believe differently.
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