Yesterday was Christmas, and Bengaluru was bedecked like any other festival in India. The Christian community would be in their best attire and mood, befitting the attire. In Bengaluru, it does not matter if you are not a Christian; you celebrate by cutting a cake; it is just the taste of the Christmas cake, especially laced with rum, that matters!
From the turmoil of the seven-odd crusades dating back to the 11th to 15th centuries, peace has settled for the Christians of Bengaluru and the world. This article traces back briefly to the beginning days and certainly that of Bengaluru.
Table of Contents
A Quick Tour of the Christian World.
Bengaluru is peppered with many ancient churches, but more importantly, many sects of the Christian population live in harmony. It may be noted that in the past, these were not only places of worship but also community centres for education and healthcare.
Unfortunately, it also significantly marginalised traditional Indian learning systems and centres such as ‘gurukulas’, pathashalas, etc. Centres like Nalanda and Takshila were renowned for their scholarship and focused on holistic education, including spirituality, ethics, and practical sciences. Lord Macaulay’s reforms (1835) dismissed these as irrelevant and unfit for modern education and governance. Funds were diverted from these to English institutions.
Today, it is evident that these were neither ‘irrelevant’ nor ‘unfit’, but it is too late to make amends; there is a need for corrections and modifications to bring in what is best.
Returning to the churches, we will see that the layers of history they speak mirror their ties to Tamil Christians and their association with European settlers and the British military. Bengaluru has evolved from a small town under Mysore rulers to the Silicon Valley it is today. Here is a brief historical account tracing this evolution of churches.
St. Mary’s Basilica
Established in the 17th century, it has ties with Tamil Christian migrants settled in Bengaluru during the rule of Mysore kings and the city’s founder, Kempegowda.
European missionaries, Portuguese being the first, made it into a prominent church from its humble thatched chapel. It is the only basilica in Karnataka and is held with the highest regard by the Catholic community.
St. Mark’s Cathedral
Inspired by St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, it was built in 1808 during the East India Company’s rule. Today, the Cantonment area for European settlers is a prominent Bengaluru business district. It was rebuilt after a fire in 1923 but remains an architectural landmark.
St. Patrick’s Church
Established in 1844, it is one of the oldest Catholic churches; it reflects the confluence of religious heritage and military presence. Built by Irish soldiers of Madras Army, it was called the ‘Church of the Assumption.’
Holy Trinity Church
The largest military church in south India was established in 1851 by the British Regiment stationed in Bengaluru. The English Renaissance-style architecture is an indication of Bengaluru’s strategic colonial outpost.
St. Andrew’s Church
Named after St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland, it was established in 1866. The beautiful stained-glass windows and annual Scottish festival are testimony to the blending of Scottish and Bengaluru’s cosmopolitan mentalities.
St. Joseph’s Church
It was built by the British in 1857 to serve the spiritual needs of Catholics. Its Gothic and colonial architectural styles were common during the British era. The church is also associated with educational institutions, such as St. Joseph’s Boys’ High School, St. Joseph’s Indian High School, and St. Joseph’s College. They provide quality education to this day.
As is evident, these places of worship are pieces of Bengaluru’s layered history that reflect the city’s colonial connections, cultural diversity, and lasting Christian traditions.
Christian Diversity of Bengaluru
On the eve of Christmas, Bengaluru was beautifully lit, and people were in a festive mood. Have a glimpse.
Bengaluru is home to many types of Christians, they can be categorized into the following groups:
Catholics can be Roman, Syro-Malabar, or Syro-Malankara.
Protestants can be Church of South India (CSI), Baptist Church, Methodist Church or Lutherans.
Evangelical Christians stress personal faith, Bible study, and missionary work.
Pentecostal Christians
Orthodox Christians
Seventh-day Adventists emphasize Sabbath worship and health principles.
Jehovah's Witnesses
Latter-day Saints (Mormons)
Mar Thoma Church (Eastern Christians)
Religious history: Crusades!
To this day, Jerusalem is the most contentious city in the world. There is a long history, but it is captured briefly and succinctly here.
Fight for the Holy Land (Israel/Palestine)
Though the fight for the holy land began in the 11th century and ended in the 13th century, it has not really ended. To this day, Jerusalem is in conflicting positions for the three Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
The crusade was to recapture the Holy Land from Muslim control, which was driven by religious, political, and economic motives; it went on for nearly 200 years. It still is going on.
The reason is that:
- For Judaism, Jerusalem is the eternal spiritual and historical centre. (Western Wall)
- For Christianity, it is the site of Christ’s most important acts of salvation. (Church of the Holy Sepulchre)
- For Islam, it is a sacred place of divine connection. ( Dome of the Rock: Al-Aqsa Mosque)
Conclusion
Though these are distant pasts, they are forgotten chapters of history. However, they remind us of the endurance of human faith. In contrast, the churches of Bengaluru today embody a peaceful legacy—a place where history, culture, and community converge.
St. Joseph’s Church, the last of the British ‘legacy,’ is a witness to the compassion and faith of the people of Bengaluru and the Christians.
