St.Stephen's church,Ooty,India,exlusively built for the British

St.Stephen's church (1830),Ooty,India bp.blogspot.com

The St Stephen's Church at Ooty in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu built in 1830 was designed by Captain John James Underwood of Madras Army and consecrated by the Bishop of Calcutta John Mathias Turner (Nov.05,1930). This Church has beautiful Gothic structures and still retains the Victorian flavour.
Dating back to 19th century, its foundation stone was laid by Stephen Rumbold Lushington ( April 23.1829), the then Governor of Madras who was keen to have a church built in the precincts of Ooty as the European community  grew larger and there was no proper place of worship for them.

Construction began on April 23, 1829, being the birthday of King George IV, and was open to public communion on Easter Sunday April 03, 1831. There are some interesting aspects about this historical church. Lots of massive timber and other materials went into construction as result of which the building is pleasant inside both in the summer and winter. Almost all wooden materials used in the building were taken from the slain Mysore king Tipu
Sultan's palace at Srirangapatnam (Lal Bagli) - in 1820s and transported through the Sigur ghat area-thick jungle infested with wild animals. With no proper roads in those days, it was a Herculean task to transport massive wooden materials uphill to Ooty (elevation 7,000 feet plus). The other aspect is this church was open to services exclusively for Europeans and was not meant for native Christians. The British in those days in order to spend their free time had several social clubs, yacht clubs, etc in many parts of India exclusively reserved for them and this attracted the irritation of George Bernard Shaw, who was highly critical of their Brutishness, social class system and snobbery.

St Stephens church(1830),Ooty,India. experienceopinion blogspot.com

The beautiful stained glass windows depict The Last Supper and Mary with infant Jesus.The beautiful quiet wooden interior, eye-catching stained glass windows, glossy floor and the wooded surroundings create a serene ambiance that will entice people to go into a meditative mood. Lots of people visit this 

Door of St.Stephens church,Ooty,India.wikipedia.org

St.Stephen's church (1830),Ooty,India  wikipedia.org

famous church that takes you right back to the colonial era - a bygone period that remains  etched in every patriotic Indian's mind.