Malayattor Church – Holy Shrine with Foot Prints of St. Thomas the Apostle

Wed, 06 Apr 2011 09:59:15 +0100

Kerala has number of pilgrim centers and these places are suitable for pilgrim tourism. Most of this pilgrim centers has the history from ancient time and these are important historical monuments and world heritage sites. The presence of different religious communities in Kerala is becoming the cause of the different pilgrim centers here and those are great examples for harmony among the different culture and traditions. Jude Synagogue in Kochi, Malayattoor Church, Sabarimala Temple etc are some examples of great pilgrim centers. All are very interesting spots to tourists from all over the world on their Kerala tour.

Kerala has number of Christian pilgrim centers and Malayattoor, near Kochi is prominent one of them. The Christians from all over India is seeing this center as an important holy spot to visit even once in their life. The Church here established by St. Thomas the Apostle of Jesus Christ. The church is located at a hill top with rustic view of surroundings. The scenic Periyar River near the church is a delightful view to the visitors. St. Thomas landed in Kerala in AD 52 and he spread the seeds of the Christian religion in India.

The place, which got his first foot touch, was Kodungallur and from here he went to Malayattoor hill top. There he prayed and he left his foot prints on rock. During his prayer he touches a rock, upon which blood poured from it. The main festival of Malayattoor is on the first Sunday after the Easter Sunday. The day is fixed due to a traditional belief about Sign of Cross, which he made on the rock, kissed it and prayed in front of it. On this particular day a miraculous golden cross appeared at the spot he used to pray. This place is considering as a holy place and named as Kurisumudi.

The pilgrims are sounding the prayer as "O Patriarch of the Golden Cross! Climb we shall, this golden hill!" and climbing to the hill top. This is a great ritual here following from generations to generations. The shrine here is an ancient one in the name of St. Thomas set up on A.D 900. The architectural style of the church is the ancient combination of Greco-Roman style and the decorations and carvings inside the church are incredible. The designs and paintings are that depict the life of Jesus Christ. The church has an ancient pond that was used for baptism purposes and now it is keeping as a pulpit.

For more information about travel Kerala , Kerala tour operators and travel packages to Kerala visit Kerala tourism blog.

kerala-tourism-packages

Malayattor Church – Holy Shrine with Foot Prints of St. Thomas the Apostle