St. Thomas Basilica

One of the many things to do on my wish list has been to visit St. Thomas Basilica in Mylapore, Chennai. So with Mum and Dad for company we set off to see this important Christian Church.

It is said that St. Thomas, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, came to India in A.D.52, to preach the word of the Lord Jesus to this Hindu nation. He died as a martyr in A.D.72 when he was speared to death on St Thomas Mount in Chennai. The Church has been built over the tomb of St. Thomas. The present cathedral was constructed in 1896.

Thomas the Apostle, also called Doubting Thomas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is best known for disbelieving Jesus' resurrection when first told of it. He declared that he would not believe until he himself put his finger in the wound mark of the Lord. Jesus appeared and said to him to put his finger in the wound, cease his doubting and believe. He then knelt and proclaimed "My Lord and my God".

He was perhaps the only Apostle who went outside the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel.

The Church is situated on a very busy road and backing onto the coastal fishing village that I have previously blogged about.

Many people believe that when the Tsunami struck on December 26th 2004, the area behind the church was protected because of the presence of The Pole of St. Thomas. Which is set into the ground just behind the church and quite possibly one of the most average looking wooden poles, that has so much historic significance. Legend has it that St. Thomas erected this pole as a mark to prevent the sea from encroaching the land, thus saving the lives of the people living near the shore.

Heffalump's Day Out...

Look what we found while driving around the other day.

It looks to me like a Heffalump, but NO, it's just a walking pile of hay.

I think that would be pretty scratchy.

It has 4 legs.

Koyambedu Market

Tuesday we took a trip to the Koyambedu Produce market in Chennai. I went there last year and loved it and knew Mum and Dad would also enjoy the amazing sights to behold there. So many smiling faces and wonderful fresh fruit and vegetables.

The flower market takes my breath away with the beauty of all the colours you see. Margaret came along to do some shopping and stocked us up with vegies that were so cheap. I think she and Victor enjoyed taking us all around and making sure we didn't get lost.

Dad was in his element taking photos of the very willing and obliging stall holders, stopping to talk to all the men and sharing in some Aussie humour. Mum was surprised to see the variety of different vegetables and the huge piles of the mint and coriander.

Wordless Wednesday

Faces

Monkey Business

These are some of our local inhabitants that hang out at one of the Hindu Temples down the street from where we live. They were too busy getting stuck into the bananas that had been left as offerings at the temple to notice me trying to get a good shot of them.

India Week

India week at school and the kids got to dress up in their Indian clothes, much to Sam's disgust, he couldn't wait for the concert to finish so he could put his shorts on.

Fishing Village

Yesterday we had a very humbling drive through the Fishing Village near Marina Beach in Chennai. Seeing the people hard at work, living their everyday lives never ceases to touch my heart and remind me of how fortunate we are. Seeing them standing around as the homes were being demolished around them filled me with sadness but also hope for their futures, that their new homes soon to be built would make their lives better.