The horrors of the Mutiny of 1857 (sometimes referred to as the 'Sepoy Rebellion') reminded Anglo-Indians of the precarious nature of their own existence in a foreign land. In the aftermath of its suppression, memorials sprang up all over India to serve as a reminder of those times - and reflecting the Christian attitudes of the day, of God's deliverance. The most celebrated (and moving) memorials are to be found at Lucknow, Cawnpore and Delhi - the scene of bitter fighting and massacres.
Although spared the brutality of the Mutiny, the British residents of Madras raised this neo-classical public hall from public subscription. Designed by Captain George Winscom and Colonel Horseley, it was dedicated "to the glory of God as a memorial to the goodness of forebearanceof the Almighty God in sparing this Presidency from partaking of the Sepoy Mutiny which devastated the sister Presidency of Bengal in the year 1857." On the frieze just below the triangular pediment is the inscription: "The Lord hath been mindful of us: He will bless us", taken from Psalm 115:12. #chennai #christianity #hall #memorial #roman_architecture #sepoy_mutiny
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