Bible Tower

Bible tower at night.

The Bible Tower is situated in Thrissur city of Kerala, India. It was inaugurated on January 7, 2007. The tower is the tallest church tower in India and Asia. It is also the tallest structure in whole of Kerala.^[1] The 260 feet tower stands tall elegantly behind two towers of 140 feet height.^[2] The building has been certified as earthquake-proof by officials of the Geology Department of India. The red cross on the top of the Bible Tower is lit to "show the presence of the Roman Catholic Church in Thrissur." It can be seen from anywhere in the Thrissur city. In the tower we can see childhood of Christ carved in wood, healing of Jesus depicted in stained glass, miracles of Jesus in brass, sufferings of Jesus Christ in oil paints, beautiful painting of apostles in terra cotta, mural paintings of the life history of St.Thomas, and glorious resurrection of Jesus depicted in canvas.

History

The foundation stone of the Basilica of Our Lady of Dolours was laid on December 21, 1929 by Mar Francis Vazhapilly, the late Archbishop of Thrissur. The church was blessed on November 24, 1940. When the church built, they also built two bell towers in the front of the church in 140 feet and envisaged another bell tower in the back of the church in 260 feet. The reconstruction of that bell tower started in 2002 when the Bishop of Thrissur Mar Andrews Thazhath was the rector of the Basilica. In 2004 when all the bishops of India were present in Thrissur for the CBCI General Assembly held in Thrissur, Cardinal Daud Moosa blessed that tower in the name "Bible Tower".^[3]

Facilities

The tower has facilities for viewing the City of Thrissur over an area of 18 kilometres. A passenger lift is available up to 160 feet where a viewers' platform has been made to accommodate 250 persons. The viewers have to climb the steps from there to the top of the tower. There is a red cross on the top of the Bible Tower which can be seen from anywhere of the City of Thrissur and it represents the presence of the Catholics in City of Thrissur.^[4]

References

1. "Bible Tower attracts tourists in large numbers". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 2007-11-22. Archived from the original on 2012-11-06. Retrieved 2010-07-21.
2. "History". Dolours Basilica, Thrissur. Retrieved 2010-03-22.
3. "Tourism and Sports". Thrissur Corporation. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
4. "Tourism and Sports". Thrissur Corporation. Retrieved 2010-09-23.

External links

• Official web site of the Bible Tower
• Tourist Places, Thrissur