The god of all things


A fascinating Catholic Church in a Muslim majority area in north Sumatra is built in the style of a Tamil Hindu temple.

Graha Maria Annai Velangkanni rises up out of the working class suburbs of the Indonesian city of Medan, like the apparition it is named after. As a Catholic Church in a Muslim-majority area of north Sumatra built in the style of a Tamil Hindu temple, it is, quite literally, chimerical.

Father James Bharataputra, the 67-year-old Jesuit Priest who conceived of and constructed this church, rushes to greet me as I enter the compound. Barefoot and dressed in a spotless white habit, Father James recounts his story with dramatic flair.

Born in 1938 in a town near Madurai he entered the Jesuit order in 1957 with dreams of serving in a mission abroad. In 1966, his goal was realised when he was sent to work with Tamil communities in Malaysia. Shortly after his arrival, however, the Malaysian government passed an immigration law against foreign missionaries and so his superiors dispatched Father James to Indonesia................Read more

 

Source: The Hindu


Comments (0)



Please Login or Register to join groups