A Few Churches at the tip of the Indian Peninsular...

I like visiting churches and chapels, the peace and calm that emanates from them provides an opportunity to contemplate life, death and everything in between. During my trips here and there, whenever I came across churches, I always stopped for a short visit. I guess this fascination with churches harks back to my childhood in a convent school; the convent attached to my school had this beautiful chapel, and I was enamoured by it. It was so quiet and peaceful in there, it was almost like being transported to another dimension. Back then I never knew He used to listen, I used to pray because we were brought up to pray for anything and everything. So my prayers were usually about tests and to make teachers (and a couple of classmates) disappear. Used to pray for heavy rains too, for the school to declare a holiday... I can still see the gushing stream of rain water tumbling and overflowing down the steps of the main assembly ground. I remember being riveted by that sight, it was so beautiful, the whole getting drenched in the rain part was pretty awesome too. Okay, before I digress any further... (you might want to click on the pictures for a larger view)

Here's the new church in my colony, seen from a distance... it's pretty impressive up front.

But needlessly gilded and elaborately decorated inside...

This is another church nearby, couldn't enter it was locked...

This is another quaint chapel that could almost pass for a house...

Inside the chapel; Latin masses are held here every Sunday...

Another church we saw on the way back from Chalakudy...

This is St. George Church in Aluva, near Chalakudy...

Inside St. George Church....

Christ the King church...

The massive cross outside...

I forget what this church is called...

the side entrance...

The steeples...

Right opposite the above church of many steeples we saw these steps leading upwards...

To the chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary...

Inside the Rosary chapel...

The Rosary chapel, built on a small hill...

St. Antony's church... a lovely and well constructed church.

This is the Mother Mary statue just outside the church, beneath the main entrance. Being a coastal region, it's not unusual to find sea imagery incorporated into the church's decor. This explains why Mother Mary is seen standing inside a sea shell. I've seen one church long back where wave patterns were inscribed on walls... depicting the movement of the ocean.