Panchalimedu.

My Father and me have this daily sojourn early in the morning while I am preparing breakfast plus lunch while he would be on the lookout for the fish vendor or reading newspaper. Of course over the phone. Today he told me needs to write something and I am like.. what? I am the writer out here! Anyway, told him he should write but can he pacify this curious cat? It is nothing special but something that is currently brewing in Kerala. The place is Panchalimedu. 

Panchalimedu is a hill station and view point near Kuttikkanam in Peerumedu tehsil of Idukki district in the Indian state of Kerala.

Now the issue is as follows:

A Hindu outfit led by Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP) outfit on Wednesday took out a protest march in Panchalimedu in Kerala's Idukki district claiming encroachment of government land by St Mary's church. The problem started when on June 15, a trident was planted in front of a cross in Panchalimedu -- famous for religious tourism.

Panchalimedu is one of the most frequented tourist spots in the state. The hilltop is known for a temple and 14 holy crosses situated there. A few days ago, members of a Hindu right wing group placed a trident near one of the crosses alleging that the Christian community has been trying to encroach upon government land.

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/trishul-cross-panchalimedu-1552010-2019-06-19

As I mentioned earlier in my blog, this is a new tourist attraction and while growing up it was not there. Now my father says this place was initially owned by the Kallivayalil family who still owns much land out there. During the excess land law etc. it was given up and the government acquired it. Now older folks may remember the MRA or the Moral Re-Armament movement, an international and spiritual movement developed from American minister Frank Buchman. In India, it had it's office in Pune and still exists but under a different name: Initiatives of Change. Anyway, this movement wanted a center at Peerumade and thought this place was good enough. It was up to my father to check out and also supervise the building of the boundary wall. Those days the American in charge used to stay with my father and they also had regular correspondence. The letters sent by this man was regularly opened up by our intelligence team in India says my father.

As per my father, this place was not frequented by anyone and he could barely drive his jeep out there. (he learned driving in those rugged terrain, which is another story) He had to walk on rocks and boulders and vouches that there were no crosses or Hindu temples. At least nothing that was visible to the human eye. But you could view Sabarimala and far off places from there.

Maybe the church with it's connection to Kallivayalil may have planted those crosses. As usual, this cross planting could have happened during the "Way of Cross" that is important for Catholics during the Lent period.

It is time both the factions stopped this nonsense before the issue gets out of hand. Religion is dividing and killing and those who are in charge only want power and money.