Dimensions
128 x 198 x 20mm
India is predominantly Hindu and Muslim, yet it has also been deeply shaped by a powerful Christian presence: dozens of different denominations, an astonishing array of church architecture, perhaps 30 million believers. In this remarkable book, Charlie Pye-Smith set out to uncover this extraordinary hidden heritage. He travelled everywhere from Madras to Mangalore; to the great cities of Bombay, Calcutta and Delhi; to monkey-infested Shimla, summer capital of the British Raj; and to touristy Goa, ruled by the Portuguese for 450 years. He climbed Mount Batim to see if the Virgin Mary would appear. He listened to clerics and ordinary churchgoers talking about everything from sex to salvation, from poverty to tribal confict, the price of whisky and the caste system. Sympathetic but sceptical, dramatic and often disturbing, his account casts new light on one of the world's most fascinating countries.
