High Court sharply criticizes Govt over Kothamangalam church dispute

The High Court of Kerala has sharply criticized the state government in connection with the Kothamangalam Marthoman church dispute.

While considering the contempt of court petition filed by the Orthodox Church, the court said that the government is taking a biased stand and that is not right.

 Meanwhile, the government of Kerala argued that the currently available police force is insufficient to take over the Marthoman church and hand it over as they are busy with Sabarimala pilgrimage season and election duties.

 The Kerala government asked for more time to implement the court verdict. But the Kerala High Court said that this was already delayed in the name of COVID outbreak and if the implementation of the court verdict is further delayed, central forces will be called.

 The additional solicitor general has been instructed to appear before the High court on Tuesday to make the government's stand clear. The court will consider the case again on Tuesday.

 Earlier, the High Court division bench had rejected the appeal filed by the Kerala state government against taking over Kothamangalam Cheriyapally and handing it over to Orthodox Church. The High court of Kerala had also made it clear that it was the state government's responsibility to implement the verdict.

The Beautiful Architecture of Kothamangalam Cheriyapally

I haven't visited Kothamangalam Marthoman Church or Kothamangalam Cheriyapally quite often, but recently I got an opportunity to visit this historic church in the heart of Kothamangalam town. It was during my way back from Adimali, that we decided to pay our offerings at Kothamangalam Marthoman Church. It was  really a great spiritual experience and it has prompted me to think of visiting this Church again and again.

One of the main feature that attracted me was the amazng architecture and beauty of Kothamangalam Cheriyapally. The architecture is purely based on the ancient model of Churches that once prevailed in Kerala. The atmosphere inside the Church was also terrific as people were indulged in prayers and offering which made a sense of great spirituality and belief of the people.

The tomb of St. Yeldo Mar Baselios Bava is situated inside the "Madbaha" of the Church and this is one of the major reason why this Church has drawn huge popularity among the believers. I noticed that majority of the people inside the Church have come from far away places and this is a clear evidence of their strong belief in the intercession of St. Yeldo Mar Baselios.

Hope that the Church would provide a more spiritual experience during its annual feast and I have heard that people from distant place walk by foot to Kothamangalam Marthoman Cheriyapally to visit the tomb of St.Yeldo Mar Baselios. Here are some pictures of Kothamangala Cheriyapally I have captured from my mobile cam during my recent visit to this Church.