Hello, do you remember me. I’m Angeline’s grandpa Isaac Hello, do you remember me? I’m Angeline’s grandpa Isaac. I’m going to tell you about our home town of Vellore. Wannakam! Wannakam is the Tamil welcome greeting, the equivalent of the Hindi “Namaste”. In the corner of these powerpoint slides is a part of the Indian flag – you will find several different descriptions of its symbolism e.g. saffron is the colour of spirituality (see Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and the stoles of Christian bishops); white is for peace; green is for the life of the earth / soil on which all depends; the blue dharma wheel also represents justice. © Dr Shirley Hall & Cambridgeshire Ecumenical Council, 2011

Vellore is in the South of India, in the state of Tamil Nadu. India is much larger than England. It is a country with many different languages, different states and different religions The territory of India is approximately 18 times that of the United Kingdom. The territory of the Diocese of Vellore is two thirds in the state of Tamil Nadu and one third in the state of Andrha Pradesh. In Tamil Nadu they speak Tamil and in Andrha Pradesh they speak Telagu. You can find the Lord’s Prayer in these languages at http://www.christusrex.org/www1/pater/index-st.html#N Can you find out what other languages are spoken in India? Vellore is in the South of India, in the state of Tamil Nadu. © Dr Shirley Hall & Cambridgeshire Ecumenical Council, 2011

Vellore town is also the centre of a Diocese of the Church of South India. Two thirds of the Diocese of Vellore is in the state of Tamil Nadu – here the people speak Tamil. The northern third of the Diocese is in the state of Andhra Pradesh – here the people speak Telagu. When Christians from all over the Diocese meet together they usually have to talk in English so that they can understand each other! Find out more about the Christians in the Diocese of Vellore from other members of Angeline’s family. The diocese is actually a rather straggly three legged shape in outline – not unlike the symbol of the Isle of Man! Chembakoli – which may be known to you from the popular KS2 curriculum materials – is also in Tamil Nadu but does not fall within the area of the Diocese of Vellore – however, if you use the Chembakoli materials they are entirely appropriate for villages in the Diocese. Chembakoli © Dr Shirley Hall & Cambridgeshire Ecumenical Council, 2011

Vellore is a small city – about 900,000 people live here. It is famous for its fort which was built by Indian princes. Although a population of 900,000 may sound very large in English terms, this is the total population of the extended Vellore city district, the main town itself is about 100,000 people – although it is the largest in the region. A significant number of the population will be street dwellers. The city is about 55 square kilometres. The city was once the capital of the Vijayanagar empire during 1606-1672. See the materials on the 7 wonders of Vellore. © Dr Shirley Hall & Cambridgeshire Ecumenical Council, 2011

When the British ruled India they built a Christian church in the Indian fort. There is a Hindu temple here too, as well as government offices. Hundreds of people visit the fort every day. The Jalakandeswarar Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple was closed for a long period during British rule and reopened in 1980 when the main statue of Shiva was brought back from “exile”. St John’s Church was built in 1846 for the British Army. Now it is the only church in the Diocese of Vellore where services are in English. Christians come to Vellore from all over India and the world because of the Christian Medical College – most of them will go to church here if they do not speak Tamil. The church has its own website which you can find at http://www.stjohnschurchvellore.org/ What is the main tourist attraction near you? Are any of the local tourist attractions places of worship? Are there any military establishments near you? © Dr Shirley Hall & Cambridgeshire Ecumenical Council, 2011

There is also a famous new temple – the “Golden Temple”. Today Vellore is famous for the Christian Medical College Hospital, Silviya works here, and people come from all over the world to train here. Sri Lakshmi Temple, is a newly built temple and spiritual park at Sripuram, Vellore. The whole exterior of the temple is laid with gold sheets and plates and the construction of the temple is reported to have cost approx £40,000,000. See Silviya’s powerpoint on famous Christians for the story of the hospital. There is also a famous new temple – the “Golden Temple”. © Dr Shirley Hall & Cambridgeshire Ecumenical Council, 2011

Here are some typical street scenes from around Vellore. Why is it important to look after our environment and keep our towns clean? What do you do to keep your school and environment clean? © Dr Shirley Hall & Cambridgeshire Ecumenical Council, 2011