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Home of Christ in the Himalayas
St Johnes at the Wilderness
The Church that Survived Disaster
St. John in the Wilderness, is a Protestant church dedicated to John the Baptist. It was built in 1852 and is located near Dharamsala, India, on the way to McLeod Ganj, at Forsyth Ganj.
Set amidst deodar forest, and built in neo-Gothic architecture, the Church is known for its Belgian stained-glass windows donated by Lady Elgin (Mary Louisa Lambton), wife of Lord Elgin. One is blown away by its surreal beauty.
Though the church structure survived the 1905 Kangra earthquake, which killed close to 19,800 people, injured thousands in the Kangra area, and destroyed most buildings in Kangra, Mcleod Ganj and Dharamsala; its spire, Bell tower, was destroyed. Later, a new bell, cast in 1915 by Mears and Stainbank, was brought from England and installed outside in the compound of the church.
There are numerous graves that lay on either side of the pathway that leads to the church building. Each grave seemed to cajole us to listen to its story. A story of a mother, a father, a son, a daughter, a wife, a husband, a soldier! The stunningly picturesque cemetery overlooking the mountains and McLeod Ganj, surrounded by majestic Himalayan cedars, evokes thoughts of sunny peace and eternity.
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