St. Andrew’s Church, Reddiarpalayam

History

Kanakaraya Mudali, the longest-serving dubash (chief interpreter) of the French East India Company, built the first church here in 1745; at its opening he is said to have hosted a feast open to all castes and religions. It is believed to have been destroyed by the British in 1761 and was rebuilt in 1830. Its inscriptions in Tamil are described as the first of their kind in a church in South India. Today it belongs to the Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore.

What to see

• The bust of Kanakaraya Mudali over his tomb inside the church
• The Tamil inscriptions
• The grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes near the entrance

Why visit

A link to the Tamil intermediaries who worked with the French Company in the eighteenth century.