Medak Cathedral - the important Christian pilgrim place in Andhra Pradesh
If you plan a trip to Hyderabad, make it sure to visit the Cathedral at Medak in Andhra Pradesh which is one of its kind and is the second largest diocese in the world after Vatican. Besides the magnificent Gothic style of architecture, the stained glass windows of the Cathedral are the main attraction.
Introduction
Medak is a historical town in the Medak district of Andhra Pradesh and is at a distance of about 100 Km from the capital city Hyderabad. It is a 2 hour drive from Hyderabad on the National Highway 7. This historical town was known as Siddapur and was under the Kakatiya rule for a long period. During the British rule in India, Rev. Charles Walker Posnett whose slogan was "My best for my God" was the architect of this beautiful Cathedral. At the time of the construction of the Church, there was a severe famine in the district during World War I and the Revered set up a project 'food for work' and thus the people in the village were engaged in the construction of the Cathedral and in turn they got their food.
Thus the historic town of Siddapur gradually came to be known as Methukulu which literally means rice grains in Telugu language. And later the word took a turn and changed to Medukulu, later Meduku (singular form of Medukulu and finally the place came to be known as Medak. Medak Cathedral - the largest diocese in Asia
The Medak Cathedral is the single largest diocese in the Asian continent and second largest in the world next to Vatican. This is a priceless heritage and the diocese of Medak is presently spread into five revenue districts of the Telangana region in Andhra Pradesh viz. Medak, Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy, Nizamabad and Adilabad.
The first Bishop of Medak diocese was Frank Whittaker which was formed on October 3' 1947 and presently it is headed by the successors of Whittaker. The Medak diocese is one of the 22 dioceses of the Anglican Church of South India. A diocese is under the supervision of a Bishop and is divided into Parishes.
The Cathedral at Medak is the seat of the Bishop for the Churches of South India which was formerly Anglican. This is the largest of all churches in Andhra Pradesh. The Diocese of Medak is an autonomous body and it is democratic by nature. For the purpose of Administration, it is divided into :
The visiting hours for the Church from Monday through Saturday are 6.00 a.m to 12 noon and 1.00 p.m to 6.00 p.m. While on Sundays it is from 6.00 a.m to 6.00 p.m.
Worship timings at the Church are:The structural beauty of the Medak Cathedral
Image Courtesy: Google images
The structural beauty of this Cathedral is in fact astounding and mesmerizing too. The main attraction of this architecture beauty is the three stained glass windows that were created by Sir Frank O' Salisbury of London. These are made of solar glass and these stained glass windows look more attractive on a bright sunny day. These stained windows have inscriptions in English, Hindi and Telugu as well. These stained windows display the gospels from Christ's life. 
Image Courtesy: Google images
The Cathedral is built on a solid white granite and the tower is around 175 feet high with four pinnacles and it stands on a sprawling 1000 acres of land. In fact the Medak Cathedral is a monumental piece of architecture with massive dimensions and it can accommodate around 5000 people at a time. The Church compound provides a serene and peaceful ambiance and it runs 13 institutions inside the compund which include a B.Ed college, a junior college, an old age home, separate hostels for boys and girls, a 100 bed hospital and many more.
The Cathedral is one of the finest examples of the Gothic structure which is built with love and is crafted to perfection. The Church bells can be heard from far off and pilgrim in lakhs visit this Cathedral from across the country and world during the celebrations of Easter, Christmas and New Year.
Besides a pilgrim place, the architectural beauty of the Cathedral is worth watching.
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