Adam's Bridge & Adam's Peak

I used to think that Adam’s Bridge in South India and Adam’s Peak in Sri Lanka were named after some Englishman, from the Raj days. But while researching for Ram Sethu controversy, yesterday’s post on my blog, I came to understand that the name is from the original Adam of Eden.

According to some Islamic texts, Adam, after being banished from Eden, walked down to South India, crossed over to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) by the causeway between Palk Straits and Gulf of Mannar and climbed the 2,243 meters mountain in the south of that country. It is claimed that the 'first man' stood atop the peak on one leg, a penance that lasted for 1000 years. As a result, his foot mark became imprinted on the rock on which he stood. Adam would have been a giant of a man because the footprint measures 5 feet 7 inches by 2 feet 6 inches! The legend also indicates that Sri Lanka was the nearest thing to Paradise on earth.

The mountain, Adam’s Peak, is popularly known as ‘Sri Pada’ (sacred footprint). It is a holy place to Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and to lesser extent, to the Jews. That is something unique. The Buddhists believe that the footprint is that of Buddha, made during his final visit to Lanka. The Hindus consider it as Shivan’s Adi Padam, caused by his thandavam (dance) atop the peak.

When the Portuguese reached the island in the 16c, they didn’t want to be left out of the script and claimed that the sacred footprint was that of St. Thomas who brought Christianity to Lanka. There is a similar assertion about the impression on a rock at the famous St. Thomas pilgrimage centre at Malayattoor in Kerala. But that I believe is more man-sized. I don’t think that any mention of St. Thomas having had feet of giant proportions exists in any text. Whatever the claims may be, the Adam’s Peak is beautiful as you can see in the picture below:

Photo from Wikimedia Commons under GNUFDL.

Ends.

A forest church in the heart of Chennai

Luz is a busy area of the Indian metropolis of Chennai. And tucked away from the main road there is a cute little church. It has many names – Kattu Koil (meaning church in the forest, in Tamil), Prakasha Matha Church, Church of Our Lady of Light, Nossa Senhora da Luz, and Luz Church. In fact, the place name, Luz, is inspired by the church.

The legend is that at the beginning of the 16^th century, a ship carrying a group of Portuguese Franciscan missionaries was hopelessly lost in the Bay of Bengal off the Chennai coast. Then the crew saw a light towards the west and following it, safely reached the land at a mangrove forest area. It is believed that Apostle St. Thomas used to live in this place for a while before his martyrdom in 72 A.D.

In thanksgiving, the Franciscans built this church in 1516 and dedicated it to ‘Our Lady of Light’ (Nossa Senhora da Luz). Some historians dispute the date but it is the official view of the Madras Mylapore Diocese under which the Luz Church comes. Anyway, it is considered to be the oldest existing Catholic church in Chennai. I saw a mention on the Internet that Marco Polo had visited a church in Chennai. Perhaps there was one built by early Christians of the place at the spot where St. Thomas had died. That church no longer exists.

The original church building at Luz was damaged during attacks by the Golconda forces (1662-1673) and again during Hyder Ali’s siege (1780-1782). It was, of course, restored.

The Luz Church is small but beautiful. The exterior is modest but the interior, particularly the alter, is grand. Some pictures are reproduced below from http://luzchurch.org/ with permission of the parish priest.

On the left is
Fr. A. John Andrew, Vicar.









The feast of Prakasha Matha coincides with Indian Independence Day – August 15. Thousands participate in the celebrations regardless of caste and creed.

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Also see: A historic church is no more.

Jewish names among Syrian Christians.

Why is it that Jewish or Biblical names common among Kerala's Syrian Christians? For the answer, see Articles By Abraham Tharakan.
http://abrahamtharakanblog.blogspot.com/2007/03/jewish-names-among-syrian-christians.html