Photo Travelogue :
Horror stories like demon and spirit exorcisms; that of a young bride who was abandoned at the alter and who commited suicide in the nearby pond; and, who still haunts the place with sobs, laughs, screams and attacks; many spine chilling accounts of paranormal activities like mysterious anamolies and apparition appearances in the almost 500 year old church still ( spotted by those who guard the place regularly ); of weird occurances like flickering of lights and sudden drop in temparatures etc etc many more, is enough to lure me in. The fact that it has a notorious reputation of being extremely haunted with exorcism having been done ( in the church ) in the past to rid it off the spirits, the St.John Baptist Church located in Andheri Seepz was in my radar from quite a long time. However, the fact that only one day in the entire year the church is opened to the public made it hard for me to match the exact dates as I was frequently in another city during that time. But, thankfully this time I was in Bombay...and I was like ---come May and off I visit this infamous haunted church without fail :D The church is open every 2nd Sunday on month of May, but, this year it opened on the 1st Sunday itself!
Locating the church at first was an issue because not many are aware of it...since it has been abandoned for three decades almost ( after the area was acquired by midc ) and hidden behind tall walls, so, I reached another St. John the Evangelist Church instead which is in Marol - another 20 minutes or so walkable distance away. But since It was the Baptist and not Evangelist church that I was seeking, someone from the latter directed me to it. Both churches are connected to each other. Since the older church was abandoned after a mysterious epidemic, most of its materials was used in constructing the newer church that is functional to this day. The other 'older' church, with time, started to decay with overgrowth taking over. In 2003, the church was handed back to the church commitee and since then only once a year prayers are allowed and visitors can visit. The restrictions are more for safety purpose owing to its reputation, besides it now being a Govt property too. There has been however pleadings to hand over the church back completely to those 'faithful'. I'lll be glad too, as it'll be more accessible then. And historical places such as this one definitely needs to be open to public and not hidden or be off limits. So what if its haunted - haunted tourism is a trendy thing these days, especially, for spook lovers like me, heheh ;-)
road signs that lead to the church...
the road...its a barely 10-12 minutes walk from seepz metro to midc's deval talao where the church is located...
the main gate... it opens for public only once a year in 1st week of May...else remain hidden behind the cordoned walls...
brief history of the church along with an image of st.john plastered on outsides of the gates...
since it is closed rest of the year...people offer prayers at this cross on its outside...its said to be very powerful...
this year's feast banners...near the gates...
peeping in...there's a guard on duty...and no one is allowed 364days of the year! one can spot the church ruins instantly...
from outside one can see those old trees and vegetation that has engulfed this 500 year old abandoned church...
the haunted and now 'restricted' pond inside the premises is said to be where the young bride had commited suicide...
the place has been reclaimed by nature...and has those baobab trees still, brought originally by the portugese...
govt 'protected monument no trespassers' notice...of the typical portugese style architechture...
arches common in old churches of portugese era...only three remain in this church holding its facade...
attached to the church is an old graveyard housing those who died in the devastating epidemic of those times...
the annual feast or mass ...crowds - worshippers, history buffs as well as spook hunters flock in hordes...
On the Mass day, statue of St.John is carried on a procession from the Marol church and placed here for respect. The day is lively with the church decorated with colourful ribbons, balloons, trinkets and lights, musical choir is played, prayer services offered, and lastly cakes, snacks and drinks served as a celebration. While its a lively affair on the feast day, one can't help but take notice of the surrounding ruins that offer a glaring glimpse to its ominous reputation. At the end of the feast, the priest thanks the authorities of MIDC/SEEPZ and Bombay police for the co=operation. After the celebrations, the church then sits abandoned for rest of the year and is off limits aka strictly prohibited!
I had an odd feeling throughout my visit to this church. Although the place is surrounded by the busy industrial hub of seepz/midc, this particular place although in ruins still retains the centuries old charm and was a stark contrast. Trees grew from the stone walls that touched the skies, vines visible all over the structure; old banyan tree entiwined with the baobab branches forming a thick canopy above that barely let sun light penetrate and cooled down the vicinity by several degrees. However, with too many people around on the feast day, it was difficult to do real spook hunting. And, the place being closed rest of the year, makes it strictly inaccessible. I left with mixed feelings. Though, I was glad I could visit it, it was kind of unfulfilled or lets say half satisfaction. I'm sure the place lives up to its reputation, else, why is it so strictly guarded? Only I wish, that weren't the case. Will I come back? Definitely, if I'm in Bombay - but will have to wait an entire year for that! Phew!
St. John the Baptist Church in Andheri is an abandoned, historic church located within the SEEPZ Industrial Area. It was built by the Portuguese in 1579 and was once a significant religious and community center for the local Catholic population. The church was abandoned in 1840 after an epidemic and has since fallen into ruins. In 1977, an exorcism was performed and has since been stuck with the haunted reputation ( wiki )..
Address : St. John the Baptist Church, Seepz Road D, Seepz, Andheri East, Mumbai - 400 096.Maharashtra.
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