About 100 km from the metropolis of Hyderabad, lies a little town by the name of Medak. It’s no different from any other small dusty town in Southern India, except it is home to the largest Diocese church in Asia.
The short two-hour drive on Medchal highway (NH-7) is made easy by the good roads and in India that counts for something. If it’s the right season, you may be lucky to get excellent views of sunflower fields. Starting early is recommended so that you miss the heavy weekend traffic and get there in time when the church opens for visitors.
So, what makes Medak Church the largest Diocese Church in Asia and the second largest in the world?
For starters, it stands tall at 175 feet with its gothic spires looming into the sky. It’s mosaic tiles in six different colors were imported from England. What really catches one’s eye is the beautiful stained-glass windows inside the Church. These windows depict the different phases in the life of Lord Jesus Christ – Ascension, Nativity and Crucifixion. These windows were installed at different periods with Ascension in 1927, Nativity in 1947 and Crucifixion in 1958.
The church foundation was laid in 1914 and it took 10 years to complete – it’s not one of the fanciest churches in India or even the world. But, the fact that this building is hidden unexpectedly in a small town in Southern India adds a lot to its charm.
Other things to do around Medak
Medak Fort was built by Kakatiyas and later extended by Qutab Shahi rulers. We tried going to the Fort but no one could give exact directions. There are 256 Google Review for this place so am figuring there is a way to get there ?
The next popular destination is Edupayulu, famous for its temple of Lord Shiva and Kanaka Durga. Edupayulu is supposed to be the origin point of the river Manjeera. It is believed that seven rivers meet here to form river Manjeera (‘Edu’ in Telugu means seven). To our disappointment, there was no water to be seen anywhere. Making our way through monkeys that were all over the place, we reached the temple shrine and could not figure out where the temple was. There were some idols placed on tables and some construction work was going on. Maybe they were creating a temple?
Our take: Hyderabad isn’t exactly rich with weekend getaway option so this short dive to Medak Church is not a bad option.
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