TELC Jubilee church, Kodaikanal

Nowadays, Kodaikanal is a busy tourist town, filled with shops selling homemade chocolates(you will never know who's home though) and oil. The climate attracts people, as well as the views. However, a hundred years ago, Kodiakanal was, apart from being a British retreat, a missionary's outpost.

In the suburbs of Kodaikanal are two areas, near each other, known as German settlement, and Swedish settlement. Neither has either Germans or Swedes, but the name remains. The areas have been sold, one to a school, and the other developed. Of the settlements, a simple Google search throws up nothing.  Of the church, not much.

The Germans in the German Settlement built a church commemorating 200 years of the oldest church in Tranquebar.(in 1707.) This church, built in 1906, was known as the Jubilee church.

The plaque on the wall

Climbing up the long slope from the metal gate, you enter the small door at the back of the church. The church inside is smaller than you would expect.On either end of the structure, are two small, stained glass windows, right on top. There are a few rows of benches, thick walls, with nothing on them, and the pulpit. The wood used for the cross is supposed to have come from Jerusalem.

The architecture inside is unchanged from when they built it. Service is still conducted on Sundays we were told. Service used to be held in 4 languages, until about 25 years ago: English, German, Swedish and Tamil. However, nowadays it is only in Tamil. 

Inside of the church

Outside, the heavy bell dates back to 1923, and is inscribed with a verse from the Bible. The bell is rung three times on Sunday mornings to alert people that mass is going to begin. It bears a legend 'Kodaikanal, 1923'. The structure it sits on was rebuilt in 1981 to celebrate 50 years of the church. The plaque sits inside the structure. 

Bell tower

At the back, are two unmarked graves. We were told that there were the ones who initiated the building of the Church, and that in their (German) custom, graves do not usually have names.

From 10:30 to 6 on Fridays, the church is open to visitors, so do have a look if you are in Kodi, at this unique little church. For location, click here