Srinagar — A 125-year-old church in Indian-administered Kashmir reverberated with traditional bells and religious melodies for the first time in three decades.
On Wednesday, a day before the church was formally opened to the public, roughly a dozen Christians gathered at Saint Luke’s church in Srinagar, the disputed region’s largest city.
The reopening of the church, which is located on the foothills of a hillside overlooking a Hindu temple in Srinagar’s Dalgate area, is a dream come true for the region’s small Christian community.
Historic Kashmir Church reverberates after decades with traditional bells.
“We have been working hard for the last many years and asking the government to open it. It is now a dream come true,” Reverend Eric, the priest in charge of the church, told news media.
The chapel was shut down in the early 1990s when an armed insurrection against Indian control erupted in the Muslim-majority province, which has been at odds with Pakistan for decades.
The medieval chapel has become a new social media attraction in a city that suffers violence on a daily basis. A huge number of Kashmiri youngsters, including social media influencers, were observed on Twitter and Instagram posting images of the church.
“It was deserted for so many years. But now we are happy that this place will witness prayers again. It will strengthen the interfaith bond among communities,” Farooq Ahmad Gilkar, 66, who is a mason by profession, told reporters.
“This place was surrounded by bushes and creepers like a haunted place. We are delighted it will be lively again.”
Built by the Missionary Society of England, the historic church boasts Gothic-style colonial-era architecture.
“It was built by Kashmiri masons who specialized in clean brick and stonework,” Gilkar said.
The church was built by British doctors Dr. Arthur Neve and Dr. Ernest Neve, according to a foundation stone in the centre of the church’s entryway. The inscription reads, “To the glory of God and as a witness to Kashmir, consecrated by the Bishop of Lahore, September 12, 1896.”
For years, the local Christian community – which numbers around 35,000 people in a city of 12 million – had been calling for the church to be renovated.
The government opted to rehabilitate it last year as part of the federal Smart Cities project, which aims to preserve historical structures and religious sites in Srinagar, which has a population of over a million people.
The coronavirus epidemic hampered rehabilitation work at the church, which had been closed off by weeds and creepers.
One of the contractors involved in the renovation of the church, Muhammad Saleem, said they tried to retain the building’s original shape by employing specialized timber work known as “khatamband” in the area.
“We wanted to keep the same look and we took help from old workers. We looked for the rare hands who are still able to do the work that was done a century ago,” Saleem told reporters.
