The Taj Mahal is probably the most instantly recognisable and famous building in the world. It is located on the banks of the River Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra in the state of Uttar Pradesh. It was built as a tomb for Mumtaz Mahal, the beloved wife of the fifth Mughal emperor Shah…
Category: India
St. Patrick’s Church – Bengaluru, India
St. Patrick’s is one of the oldest churches belonging to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bangalore. It is located in a prime part of the city and was originally dedicated to Our Lady. In it’s time it has served as a cathedral and then as a personal parish. The foundation stone was laid in July…
St. Mary’s Basilica – Bengaluru, India
St. Mary’s Basilica is located in the Roman Catholic Arcdiocese of Bangalore and is one of the oldest churches in city of Bangalore. It is also the first church in the state of Karnataka to be elevated to the status of a minor basilica. The church had humble beginnings as a thatched hut in the…
Holy Trinity Church – Bengaluru, India
This church, considered a major landmark of Bangalore, is located at Trinity Circle at the east end of MG Road. It is regarded as the largest ‘military’ church of southern India. It can accommodate up to 700 worshippers. This was the second church to be built in Bangalore by the East India Company against their…
East Parade Church – Bengaluru, India
The East Parade Church, which is located on Mahatma Gandhi Road, was consecrated in 1865. It is part of the Karnataka Central Diocese of the Church of South India. It serves the local Tamil and Malayalam population. The church began as the Wesleyan Mission Chapel by Wesleyan believers of the Madras Army. It’s name comes…
St. Francis Xavier’s Cathedral – Bengaluru, India
This is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bangalore in India. Prior to 1940, Bangalore was part of the Diocese of Mysore and St. Patrick’s Church was the cathedral of the diocese. On 13th February, 1940 the Diocese of Bangalore was formed by the bifurcation of the Mysore Diocese and St. Francis…
St. George’s Church – Hyderabad, India
This church is the oldest church in the city of Hyderabad in India’s Telengana State. It was built in 1844 by the Church Missionary Society. Since 1947, it has been part of the Church of South India in the Diocese of Medak. In 1836 through the offices of the Resident, a piece of land was…
St. Andrew’s Church – Bengaluru, India
St. Andrew’s Church comes from a Presbyterian background. Initially known as St. Andrew’s Kirk, it was part of the Church of Scotland until 1959. In that year it bacame a part of the Karnataka Central Diocese of the Church of South India. The church was designed in the Gothic style by R.C. Dobbs and Major…
Cathedral of the Sacred Heart – New Delhi, India
This cathedral is one of the oldest church buildings in New Delhi. It is a Roman Catholic cathedral belonging to the Latin Rite and is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Delhi. The church was designed by the British architect, Henry Medd who was also responsible for the Cathedral Church of the Redemption. The…
Safdarjung’s Tomb, Delhi
This tomb was built in 1754 in the late Mughal Empire style for the Nawab Safdarjung. The mausoleum was constructed in marble and sandstone. Safdarjung, who was the Nawab of Oudh was made prime minister of the Mughal Empire when Ahmed Shah Bahadur ascended the throne in 1748. The tomb was the last of the…
Qutb Complex, Delhi
This complex is a collection of monuments and buildings from the Delhi Sultanate at Mehrauli in Delhi. It embraces the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque of Qutbuddin Aibak and the Qutb Minar. Also to be found in the complex are the Tomb of Iltutmish, the Alai Minar, Alai Darwaza and what is believed to be the Tomb of…
Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi
This mausoleum for the Emperor Humayun is the first mature example of Mughal architecture on the sub-continent. It represented a leap in Mughal architecture, and together with it’s Charbagh garden, typical of Persian gardens but never before seen in India, it set a precedent for subsequent Mughal architecture. This then reached it’s zenith with the…
Cathedrals and Churches I've Visited on my Travels 