It was Saturday, June 8th, 1912 when the momentous decision by the Town Planning Committee of Delhi was taken about the site of New Delhi. According to this selected site, the New City was to be extended from Pahar Ganj in the North to the Tomb of Safdar Jang, in the South. It was to occupy the entire space on the right hand side of the road to the Qutub Minar. The Rev. Canon Allnutt, at this time, felt the need of devising plans for the extension of the “Mission Operations” in the new area. As the extension work presented certain difficulties and problems, it could not be taken in hand at once. More thought and prayers were needed before any new work could be started.

The year 1930 saw the formal opening of the New City, known as New Delhi, and Lord Irwin moved over from Old Delhi to the Viceregal Lodge which is now known as the Rashtrapati Bhawan. The new city was mainly comprised of Indians with only a few English families. Wherever there was an English family, there were always several families of servants, who were Indian. The two kinds of citizens who dominated the city were the Clerks and the office servants. They had their quarters on the North West end of the new city near the Ridge and Paharganj. There were also the quarters of a score of Railway Subordinate employees, and those of the large servants and nurses’ staff of Lady Hardinge Hospital situated in the same area. In 1926 the Rev. H.J. Weller began work on the Holy Trinity Church. He planned to build up the Indian Christians of Pahar Gani and New Delhi into a separate corporate entity with the aim to separate this large area of nearly sixteen square miles from the Parish of Holy Trinity Church which was then supposed to be responsible for this entire area. He applied to the Govt. of India for the sanction of some place for holding church services. Consequently Room No. 1 and the Common Room of the unorthodox Chummery in Alexandra Place, opposite to Gole Dak Khana, New Delhi, was sanctioned temporarily by the Govt. for the use of the Urdu-speaking congregation of the Anglican Church. It was known as the Church Room and the Rev. H. J. Weller began holding services there with about thirty families. The English folk continued worshipping there until the new church of the Redemption, which is now the Cathedral of the Diocese of Delhi, founded in 1927, was consecrated in 1931.

In 1927 the Govt. of India Headquarters moved from the Old Delhi Secretariat to its present site in New Delhi. This influx of officials from Delhi into New Delhi brought the number of christian families to about one hundred. Of these nearly forty families used to go to Simla for the hot weather with the Viceroy’s Summer Camp.

This is a short story of the birth of the Urdu speaking congregation of Indian Christians in New Delhi.

(English Translation – “Do whatever your hand can do”)

The Land and the Church Building

As the community grows, it needs a place of worship. The new congregation naturally began to look forward to building their own church. A Building Committee consisting of the Rev. H. J. Weller, Priest-in-charge, and the Rev. P. Dass Hony. Assistant Priest, G.W. Pew, R.M. Shaw, Rae Bahadur J.P. Ganguli, Rae Sahib A.L. Misra, G. Khem Chand, B. Robinson, A. Luther, S. Vincent, Har Sahai, L.B. Dass and Mrs. Domingo were appointed.

When the Committee began the work of appealing for funds, the question was asked, “What is the need for two Churches in New Delhi?” This was a fair question, as people could worship in the church of the Redemption. But the answer was that distance and language required the second church. Those living in Paharganj and in Chuna Mandi were about two and a half miles away from the Church of the Redemption. It was difficult for the families with young children to walk all the way in the hot season and monsoon. It was not possible for them to attend the daily morning services on account of time required in walking to and fro. It was extremely difficult to have a service in English and a corresponding one in Urdu during the cold weather when the Hindustani-speaking congregation needed the same facilities as others. Moreover, the christian community of New Delhi was growing every year. In order to build up and strengthen the spiritual life and corporate witness of the Urdu speaking congregation, a new church was certainly needed. The Rev. H. J. Weller strongly stressed the need for building a “second church small and unpretentious” in the New City. “Once convinced of this need,” reads the Annual Report of St. Thomas’ Church for 1940, “he did not hesitate but went ahead in faith and knew no rest till the church building was completed. The church will ever remain a monument of his faith and vision.” The church, no doubt, is the fulfilment of one of the plans Rev. Canon Allnut visualised in 1912 about the extension of the “Mission Operations” in the New City.

The first appeal for the collection of donations for the “New Delhi Indian Church Building and Endowment Fund” was signed by the Rev. H.J. Weller, Priest-in-charge, and G.W. Pew, J.C. Richards, E. Turner, P. C. Chatterjee, Har Sahai, G.Deniel and L.B. Dass, who were the members of the First Urdu Congregational Panchayat of New Delhi Anglican Church. It was endorsed by H.B. Durrent, Bishop of Lahore, H.C. Carden, Archdeacon of Lahore and F. A. Storrs Fox, Chaplain of New Delhi with these remarks:

“We are heartily in sympathy with this appeal and trust that you will give it your fullest support.”

The account was opened in the Lloyds Bank Ltd., Delhi.

The aim of the appeal was to raise money for the purchase of land and erection of a church and chokidar’s quarter and to make provision for the salary of an Indian priest. If sufficient money could be raised the church and the congregation would be self-supporting, that is, independent of financial help from the funds of the Missionary Societies and under the direct control of the Bishop, as were the churches of English congregation and the Church of St. Stephen at Fatehpuri, Delhi.

The entire Indian Christian Community of New Delhi Anglican Church gave most time and labour in collecting the funds. Miss Jerwood and Miss Porter helped by organising a fancy fair and Delhi Masih Prem Sabha Dramatic Club staged drama at the Y.M.C.A. in aid of the said fund. Thus the congregation by its subscriptions and donations and by appeals in and around Delhi collected Rs. 17,962/9/10. The Diocesan Building Society gave Rs. 1500/-. The sum of Rs. 7935/15 and Rs. 1319/7/- were received as grants from the Marriot Bequest through the S.P.G. and from the S.P.C.K. respectively.

Today we owe a debt of gratitude to all those helpers and members of the congregation who so generously contributed to the buying of the land for the church and its building. We offer them grateful thanks and rejoice in their labour.

The Land for the Church

In 1927 the Priest-in-charge approached the Govt. for the purpose of buying a site for the church, but was informed that the Bishop must make an application. In 1929 the Bishop of Lahore was requested to apply for the site. In October 1930 a site was granted by the Govt. and purchased by the Building Committee. It was behind the shops in Panchkuian Road and at the end of the Christian Cemetery where now Rama Krishna Mission is situated. This proved too small and inconvenient. It was held by the architect that a church, being a public building, is an asset to a city and should be on a main road. Accordingly the Govt. gave permission to change the site to one on Lower Ridge Road (now known as Mandir Marg). The Power of Attorney for the registration of the land was given to the late Rev. H.B. King, Secretary, S.P.G. and Cambridge Mission by the Bishop of Lahore, and the land bought was vested in the Lahore Diosesan Trustees.

(Circa 1933)

The Construction of the Church

The Church building was designed by a well-known architect Mr. Walter Sykes George A.R.C.A. The contract for construction was given to Messrs. D.R. Shadi Ram & Co. Advice on the question of acoustics was taken from Professor H. J. Taylor of Wilson College, Bombay who was an expert in the subject of acoustics. He rendered free services. The building operations were carried on under the architect and were supervised by the Rev. H.J. Weller. The total cost of its erection upto the time of its consecration and including the benches was Rs. 24,368/-.

(English Translation – “Church of Saint Thomas – His Holiness, Mr. George Istiqf, Lahore, offered his prayers on Friday, April 33.”)

The Foundation Stone Laid

At 4-30 p.m. on January 30th, 1932 Her Excellency Lady Willingdon laid the foundation stone. The inscription on a tablet set into the church wall near the main entrance will ever speak of the memorable day. The ceremony was simple and impressive. A large number of christians and other visitors were present, I was then 13 years old and was present on the occasion along with my parents. Soon after the ceremony of the laying of the foundation by Her Excellency Lady Willingdon, the Assistant Bishop of Lahore said, “The Most High God who hath founded this church, is in the midst of it and shall not be removed: God shall help it and that right early”. The service was bi- lingual. It began with the singing:

The Church’s one foundation

Is Jesus Christ her Lord

both in Hindustani and English, and ended with Benediction by the Bishop-

All hail the power of Jesus name:

Bring forth the Royal diadem, 

And Crown Him Lord of all.

Was sung . Rev. Chandu Lal gave a short sermon in Hindustani.

The Consecration

The Church was ready for consecration early in 1933. It was consecrated by the Rt. Rev. George Dunsford Barne, Bishop of Lahore, on Friday, February the 17th, 1933, in memory of St. Thomas the Apostle, the Patron Saint of India.

To commemorate this memorable day a tablet, engraved in excellent Urdu characters, has been set in the church wall near the main entrance.

The Silver Jubilee

We were eagerly looking forward to the Jubilee and are grateful to God that He had given us grace to celebrate that Big Day (17-2-1958) in the history of our Church. It was a day of great rejoicing for us all and our friends.

The Church Building Needs Repairs

It is interesting to note that the tower, with its far heavier lead, showed no sign of settlement.

In 1941, a detailed estimate amounting to Rs. 2855/-, was drawn up and excavation work was started. It was soon discovered that the land on which the church had been built was not virgin soil and the site was covered with deep obnoxious pits. This fact was not known when the building was erected. The site had pits, but they had been filled by the Horticultural Division, and when the foundations were dug, it was found that they were not free from extraneous material, and therefore trenches were dug deeper.

During the excavation an earthen pot was found. I 1’3″ below the corner of the Vestry. It was said to have contained an egg-shell and two quarter anna pieces of the East India Company dated 1835 and possibly 1858. The egg-shell contained black material inside, probably dried yolk. The pot was covered with a saucer-like lid. Such kinds of deposits were made, and are even now made, in certain parts of India, as a protection against evil spirits.

The interest of this find was that it showed that the around surface, sometime after 1858 (for the 1858 piece was a little worn) was at about 9′ below the present ground surface, as the pot would presumably be buried about l’-0″ deep. After that there was disturbance due to digging and the around level rose a little, until at some period, shortly after 1913 when work on New Delhi was begun, this land with irregular levels was filled up with mixed fillings, and finally covered with a layer of good Kankar earth about six feet thick.

(English Translation – “Fear God and obey the commandments of peace”)

The architect had budgeted for going down to 10′-0″ below ground but now the average went to 14′-0″. In one place near the deepest pit yet found, the excavators struck at a depth of l’-6″ from the surface, a filled-in well close to the south wall, and the filling of the well at 20 feet deep was so soft that a phowrah handle could be pushed in unto the hilt with very little effort. Over that well was built a flying buttress underground.

The construction of buttresses and under-pinning of walls was completed in December 1943 when the final payment was made. The final cost went upto Rs. 7328/-, very much higher than the original estimate.

Another amount of Rs. 3000/- was spent for the improvement of the altar and construction of Sedilia, Chancel rail, pulpit, lectern, steel for the lectern and other small works. The church bath room and a boundary wall to chowkidar’s quarter were also built.

The church building cracked badly again due to heavy rains between July- September 1958. Mr. Waltar George, Architect, obtained the help of the Central Research Institute, Roorkee, and they made borings and laboratory examination of the bearing capacity of the sub-soil. There were loose soil layers beneath the church and the immediate cause of the subsidence was the existence, beneath the church, of a Graveyard and the Graves were collapsing. The Tower was absolutely separated from the body of the Church and was not fractured. It was, however, settling bodily with a slight incline towards one side. With the efforts of Mr. Walter George shoring was immediately done leaving space to insert piles between the shores at suitable places.

(English Translation – “So love your neighbor as yourself” )

After repairs some cracks appeared again in the half back portion of the Church and thus it was declared unsafe by Mr. Dorairaj, and Mr G B Mann the Architect. The Pastorate Committees then decided to demolish and reconstruct this portion. The DDTA was approached and they invited tenders from some building firms. The lowest estimate was for Rs. 2,50,000/-. The DDTA promised to meet the half expenditure on repairs.

But recently some cracks were noticed in the remaining half front portion of the church and therefore the matter was re-considered and after much discussion, it was decided by the Pastorate Committee in the meeting held in 10-1-82 that the entire church building be demolished and the re-construction be started.

The new church building would cost approx Rs. 5,00,00,000/-

Appeal has been sent out to the various religious and other organisations for donations on the auspicious occasion of our Golden Jubilee Celebration.

It is hoped that by the Grace of God and with the cooperation of our church congregation we shall be able to rebuild this church in the near future.

(Circa 1983)

The Delhi week, with its round of gaieties, the horse show, polo and cricket matches, the Viceregal Ball, and nightly dances, has come and gone. Our new church in New Delhi likewise had a week of memorable events. On Tuesday, February 14th, the first Confirmation service held in the new church was conducted by the Bishop of Lahore. The candidates were, of course, all Indian and numbered twenty-one. Nine came from Holy Trinity Parish and were presented by the Rev. W.O. Fitch. The service was strikingly devotional. Although about two hundred people were present, including some babies, there was very little fidgeting and a very real atmosphere of reverence.

Friday afternoon, February 17th, witnessed the consecration of the new church. Long before time the church was filled with people. Approximately four hundred and fifty managed to obtain seats. We hired extra chairs as the benches accommodate only three hundred and forty worshipers. The chaplains of New Delhi and Delhi Cantonment, the Superintending Chaplain of the Methodist Church, the Rev. A.J. Renell, the representative of the Episcopal Methodists, the Rev. Isaac Mann, also joined with nine priests of the Mission in the procession and sat with them in the chancel. In the churchyard Rai Sahib J. Thakur Das, Secretary of New Delhi Municipal Committee, a member of the congregation, read the customary petition on behalf of some of the subscribers to the building fund praying that the Bishop would consecrate the church. With the words, “Let the consecration proceed” a procession, headed by the crucifer, Mr. P. C. Chatterjee, who is a lay-reader and occasionally conducts services for us, moved along the path to the main door, and with the Rev. F.J. Luke recited in alternate verses the eighty-fourth Psalm. Here a sidesman on duty outside, distressed at seeing the Bishop approach and the door closed, vainly endeavoured to open it. When he was dissuaded from his work of supererogation the Bishop knocked thrice upon the door with his crozier, and said in Urdu: “Lift up your heads oh ye gates and be ye lift up ye everlasting doors that the King of Glory may come in.” The congregation from within replied: “Who is this King of Glory?” On the Bishop’s answering “The Lord strong and mighty, the God of Hosts, He is the King of Glory,” the doors were thrown open. After a prayer and the pronouncement in the Threefold Name of “Peace be to this house,” the procession moved to the chancel singing Psalm cxxii.: “I was glad when they said unto me let us go into the house of the Lord.” At the chancel steps the Bishop of Lahore read in Urdu the long prayer found in the Salisbury order for the consecration of a church. After this he addressed the congregation briefly in English, mentioning in particular the beauty of the church, the excellent and generous work of Walter George, Esq., A.R.C.A., F.R.I.B.A., the architect, who has built a church in which the service can be heard, and thanking also all those who have subscribed to the building fund. The Bishop considered that the Church had been built in response to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and was glad that there should be this centre of witness in the new city of Delhi.

After this address the congregation sang, kneeling, the hymn “Come Thou Holy Spirit come.” Then a small procession consisting of the crucifer, the two parish priests, the Rev. P. Dass of St. Thomas’s, Simla, who assists the Rev. H.J. Weller for a few months when the Simla folks are in Delhi, the Chaplain, and the Bishop said the appropriate words and made the sign of the cross upon it thoughts naturally turned to the large number of government clerks and peons lived near the church whom we so long see immersed in the water of Baptism there.

The procession then returned and the Bishop prayed at the Altar that it might be a throne of grace and that faithful worshippers might realise the presence of Christ through the breaking of the bread which took place upon it. The altar was not consecrated since we hope to erect a new one worthy of the church as soon as funds are available.

The lesson, Revelation xxi., verses 2 to 5 inclusive, was read by the Rev. H. Porter. Then Rai Sahib A.L. Misra read the deed of consecration, which was duly signed and sentence of consecration pronounced in Urdu by the Bishop. Then followed the two-versed hymn:

Only Begotten, Word of God Eternal,

Lord of Creation, Merciful and Mighty,

 Bless Thou Thy servants when their tuneful voices 

Rise to Thy Presence.

Hallow this dwelling ever here abiding,

 This be none other than the gate of Heaven,

 Strangers and pilgrims seeking homes eternal

Pass through its portals.

The Rev. Dina Nath, Vicar of Holy Trinity, Lahore, having been specially invited for the purpose, gave an excellent sermon, clear, concise, relevant and brief, upon the reasons for, and uses of, a church. An offertory hymn followed. The architect presented a copy of his plans when the alms were offered. The Rev. P. Dass said the offertory sentence and conducted the final prayers. The Bishop gave the Blessing and the service ended with the hymn “Now thank we all our God,” sung as a recessional.

On Saturday afternoon the small Sunday School held its annual treat. Games were admirably organized by N. Robinson and S.Y. Massey, the teachers, parents were invited and the children were in the highest of spirits. Each one seemed to have qualified for a prize and they all enjoyed a very good tea in the church compound. Proceedings were brought to an end by a few prayers and a hymn in church and all went cheerfully to their homes.

On Sunday we held our Sung Eucharist with a  special intention of thanksgiving for all the benefits bestowed upon us and in particular the erection and consecration of the church. The evening service brought us the crown of our wonderful week when five adults were baptised in the immersion font representing the “adding to the church” of three families.

We still need another nine hundred rupees before we can draw promised grants and get out of debt. After this about £120 is needed for more fittings and furniture. Then we ought to raise about £2,000 to form a partial endowment for the salary of an Indian priest in charge, so that the burden of providing the maintenance of the minister may not fall upon the Mission, and the Church may be truly independent and self-supporting. We wish to thank all those friends who have so generously helped us in these last two years to raise the money required for the building. In conclusion it will be of interest to the readers of DELHI to see the following statement from the pen of the architect:

“The foundation stone was laid by H.E. Lady Willingdon a year ago, and the church is now in full use. Money has been collected almost piece by piece, and consequently the most rigid economy has been exercised in the design of the church. It is a simple brick structure, vaulted throughout, in which every brick is doing its full duty. There is no dependence on steel or reinforced concrete, which are relatively costly materials in Delhi, and the structural necessities of simple brick vaults, rather than aesthetic effect, have controlled the design; nevertheless the interior in particular is both decent, comely and reverent.

“The style is based on that of the Early Christian Church, which grew up in the East; this was considered particularly suitable because of its associations, and because of similarities of climate and of building materials available. At the same time, the English connection has not been forgotten, and the general appearance is that of an English church. Indeed, the dictum of an Elizabethan writer, Sir Henry Wotton, has largely influenced the design. He wrote that the Chief Grounds of Architecture are three, Commodity, Firmness and Delight, and in that order these principles have been followed; much of New Delhi architecture places these principles in the reverse order.” In this church the service can be heard.

(Letter By Late Rev. H.J Weller on the New Year of 1934)