Old Syrian Church, Chengannur

The Pazhaya Suriyani Pally, or Old Syrian Church, in Chengannur on the MC Road is counted among the oldest surviving church buildings in Kerala and in India, and is believed to be about 1,650 years old. Since a court case between factions, it has been jointly held by the Malankara Orthodox and Mar Thoma churches. Its architecture blends Christian and Hindu temple forms: the gate tower, porch, stone lamp and doors carry carved figures, among them Hanuman holding a baton, and its style is close to that of the Cheriya Pally in Kottayam.

The Antiochian metropolitan Mar Ivanios lived here from 1751 and was buried before the southern altar in 1794. The cemetery holds more than 1,200 graves, including that of George Joseph, once president of the Indian National Congress. Every Maundy Thursday for about 400 years the church has held the Aval Nercha, sharing sweetened rice flakes, traditionally prepared with an eight-headed coconut scraper said to be a royal gift.