Historical Christ church (1836) at Mussoorie, oldest in the entire Himalayan region

Navrang India January 17, 2016
The Christ church at Mussoorie, Uttarakhand State of India,  www.tripadvisor.com
The Christ church at  Mussoorie, Uttarakhand State of India, www.holidayiq.com
 The early origin of  Christianity in India remains a subject of debate today. However, as far back as  1st century itself, Chritianity was  fairly established, especially, on the Kerala's Malabar coast and later by 6th century it became better consolidated. It were the Portuguese, Italian and Irish Jesuits, mainly instrumental in the introduction and growth  of Roman Catholicism by the end of the 6th century AD in the western and northern parts of the  Indian sub continent. 

Evangelical Protestantism came to India later through the efforts of  British, American, German and  Scottish missionaries to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ among Indians. The most valuable contribution they made, as part of their missionary work,  was the  introduction of English education for the first time in India that later fairly impacted  the then native population. 

During the colonization of India during the British rule, more and more churches were built  across India  by the missionaries to cater to the needs of Christian services by the British soldiers, officials and the British people, who had begun to own properties in the subcontinent, including Tea and coffee plantations in the hilly places.
he Christ church at  Mussoorie,  Uttarakhand State of India. www.hoparoundindia.com 
The Christ church at  Mussoorie, Uttarakhand State of India.
www.hoparoundindia.com
The Christ church at  Mussoorie,www.tripadvisor.in
The Christ church at  Mussoorie, in Dehradun district, Uttarakhand State of India.  built in 1836 is  believed to be the to  the oldest among the churches in the entire Himalayan  region and it was constructed during the colonization of the East India company and consequent arrival of more and more British from England. Many of them wanted to settle down in the hilly areas at higher elevation as they were not comfortable with the tropical climate and the monsoon rains on the plains.  Mussoorie, also renowned as the Queen of the Hills, is a small town   at an elevation of about 1,880 meters (6,170 ft) above sea level. In the early days  it was  tucked away in the cool, wooded area in the foot hills of the mighty Himalayas and had a quiet and serene environment with pleasant weather  surrounded by lush greenery
King George V and Queen Mary visited India in 1911. rareindianfacts.blogspot.com
 The attractive features of this historical old church are its structure built in Gothic style, the fantastic  eye-catching pre-Raphaelite stained glass windows,  depicting various episodes in the eventful life of of Jesus Christ   and the 100 year old William Hill organ that was used during the services in the days of yore.  Apart from this, the high altar in the Church presents the stoic sufferings of Jesus Christ.  The most important event that occurred in this church was the royal visit of the Prince of Wales who came here in 1906.   Not only did he grace the church, but also as a mark of his historical visit to this remote place,  planted a Deodar sapling.  To day this big tree stands as a great monument on the Church premises and reminds us of the once glorious British empire which  had fallen apart in the 1950s and 1960s after India became an independent country in August, 1947.

Tit-Bits:

01. King George V visited India for the first time in 1905. At that time, he was the Prince of Wales. In 1911 he  made another trip  to India  along with Queen Mary, his wife. He was the only King-Emperor from the English Royal family to have paid a visit to India at that time.  

02. During his visit the  freedom struggle against English occupation was on and had picked up steam. Yet he was given a warm welcome by the people and the wealthy Indian royals, consisting of Maharajahs, Nawobs and the Nizam of Hyderabad.

03. They were  the first and last sovereigns to be crowned Emperor and Empress of the Raj in India.

04. Many  national Congress leaders avoided the Delhi Durbar celebrations in protest against the continuation of British rule in the sub continent.

Ref:
http://www.hoparoundindia.com/uttarakhand/city-guides/mussoorie.aspx