Nearly 220 years after it was built, the St. Thomas Church in the Sultan Bazaar area has Christmas celebration as a sombre affair. The small building shaped like a crucifix with gabled roof has a sprinkling of tinsel, and plastic chairs without the hustle and bustle of Christmas revellers. “This is a branch of the Wesley Church in Ramkote. We have regular Telugu service here on Wednesday morning,” says Solomon, the priest who lives in the home attached to the church.
Located in the middle of the bustling business area, the church building is barely spotted. Ringed by a temple, a shop and a municipal market that is on the verge of collapse, the church building doesn’t resemble the image that dates it to 1800 in Pictorial Hyderabad published in the 1920s. A small porch, perhaps added after the photograph was shot, changes the appearance of the church building. The church pre-dates the St John’s Church in Secunderabad which was built in 1818.
A small gate with shops on either side leads to the entrance. “About 100 people visit the church on Wednesday morning. Otherwise, it looks like a residence of the priest. Many families used to live where a big complex is coming up right behind the Wesley Church. They still come, but fewer in number,” says Ramulu, who sells earthen pots on the pavement to the right side of the church.
But 200 years earlier, the locality was a prized one by genteel folks as it was administered by the British as it was near the Residency Building. The Arms Act was strictly enforced ensuring that the roughnecks and toughs of the old city could not molest the businessmen and bankers. The safety brought the wealthier citizens to this part of the city who thrived and built large mansions and office establishments.
“We want this area to be part of the heritage walk. If the church could be restored it will be really good and will give a glimpse of the earlier period,” says Anuradha Reddy of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, who led a heritage walk in the area recently. “We are limiting the Residency walk to just the building. But this area is also part of the Residency complex as there is the older doorway here. The Chudderghat School, the clock tower and this church are part of that era and should be restored,” says Ms. Reddy.
