200 year old Edathua Church,Alappuzha district, Kerala, India

  Edathua Church,Edatha, Alappuzha, Kerala, tourmet.com
Edathua St. George Forane Church. www.heykerala.com

Edathua Church, also known as St.George Catholic Church or “Eduthua Palli” is an important church in Kerala . Situated on the banks of one of the tributaries of Pamba river and dedicated to St. George, it is  almost two centuries old - established in 1810  and closely  resembles churches of medieval Europe. It is in Kuttanad, 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) from Thiruvalla Town in Alappuzha district, Kerala. The church attracts not only Christians but also Hindus from Kerala as well as from neighboring state, particularly Tamil Nadu. Considered  as an important pilgrimage center for Christians, the old Edathua Palli was  built during the time of  Fr. Thomas Olakkapady, the vicar of the palli. Every year, many conventions are held here. Any visitor to this church will be impressed by the wonderful and impressive architecture and also the place where it is built. Situated amidst  the picturesque paddy fields and rows coconut trees  with  circrossing back waters in the back ground,  praying with conviction at this Church, it is believed, will heal mental disorders. No doubt, this Church is well-known  for miraculous cures of mental disorders and other ailments. The church celebrates the annual feast on or around 7th May  every  year and  during that period, the  gold statue of St. George is placed on a dais in the middle of the Church for 11 days.

The visitors to this beautiful place, either on pilgrimage or on sight seeing trip, will never go home disappointed. The very thought of
Edathua will linger in their heart and soul for a pretty long time. In short, the surrounding ambiance is so good, it is nature's paradise.

Tit Bits:

01. Edathua in the Kuttanad region lies below sea level.  Agricultural lands (rice farms) in this region are separated from big and small rivers.

02. The farmers build their homes on reclaimed land by expanding upon these levees or bunds  around these paddy fields known as padam. They grow coconut trees, a major commercial crop in the region.

03. The house boat ride in the nearby back waters will help the visitors to enjoy the wonderful scenery in and around Edathua. It will be a soul-stirring experience.

04. Yet another attraction is the  ancient Niranam Orthodox Church, believed to be originally established by St Thomas himself, the disciple of Jesus Christ, in the 1st century AD. It is  is just a few kilometers  south-east of  Edathua. People, on a visit to this church, never fail to visit  the Niranam church, one of the oldest churches in the world. 


05. The  famous Mannarsala Snake Temple, believed to be more than 3000 years old, is just a few kilometers south of Edathua. This temple has the largest number of stone carved snake images. Childless couples visit this ancient Hindu temple to be blessed with a kid.
 

Ref:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edathua