Rice Memorial Church, Bangalore
| Rice Memorial Church | |
|---|---|
| London Mission Canarese Chapel, Bangalore | |
| Coordinates: 12°58′16″N 77°34′49″E / 12.971136°N 77.5802331°E | |
| Location | Bangalore |
| Country | India |
| Denomination | Church of South India |
| Tradition | Wesleyan |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | Canarese Chapel, Bangalore |
| Consecrated | 27 January 1917 |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural type | Classical European |
| Style | English |
| Years built | 1913-1916 |
| Groundbreaking | 13 November 1913 |
| Completed | 1916 |
| Construction cost | BINR 3500 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Karnataka Central Diocese |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop(s) | Rt. Rev. Dr. Prasana Kumar Samuel |
The Rice Memorial Church is located in the busy Avenue Road, Bangalore Pete. It is named after Rev. Benjamin Holt Rice, a missionary of the London Missionary Society (LMS), a Canarese scholar and a pioneer of education in the Bangalore Pete region. The Rice Memorial Church stands on a busy street in the midst of temple, dargahs, book shops and heavy traffic, with its colonial British structure appearing to be out of place in the traditional Bangalore market district. The church stands on the site of the London Mission Canarese Chapel built by Rev. Rice, which itself was built on the site of the first Canarese chapel built by William Campbell in 1834. The church is a stone building in the European Classical style, with Tuscan columns, pediments and keystone arch windows. The church building has been demolished and raised at least 3 times, with the current structure consecrated in 1917.
Heritage conservationists have been increasingly urging authorities to include the church, along with other important landmarks on the heritage list, as these monuments are being increasingly threatened by the development of Bangalore City. There has been proposals for widening of Avenue Road, which would result in damage or loss of the Rice Memorial Church and other monuments. The Rice Memorial is part of the proposed 'Palace-to-Palace' Heritage Corridor (or Golden Corridor), linking Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace (on Albert Victoria Road) to the Bangalore Palace, passing through KR Road, Avenue Road and Palace Road. The corridor proposed by Bangalore's well known architect Naresh Narasimhan, with consultations from Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has however has not been accepted by the Government of Karnataka.
Benjamin Holt Rice was born on May 28, 1814 to Simon Peter Rice, who had a business of wholesale woolen drapers. Benjamin attended school till the age of 13 and showed great interest in the study of scriptures, religion and poetry. He started working as a clerk in a lawyer's office at the age of 13. Then at 15, he joined his uncle's counting house business. He became drawn towards religion and joined a church at 15, and in 1834 joined the Homerton College at Hackney. Graduating in 1836, he married Jane Peach Singer from Islington, and was appointed as a missionary to South India by the London Missionary Society. Rice joined the Bangalore Mission of the London Missionary Society, which consisted of the Canarese circuit which was considered to be conservative and caste-ridden in the Bangalore Peta area ruled by the Maharaja of Mysore, and the Tamil circuit which was considered to be progressive and the English circuit for the British Officers, both in the Bangalore Cantonment which was under the British Madras Presidency. Within 9 months of his arrival, Rice was able to learn the Canarese language, and starting preaching in that language in the Bangalore Peta region. Rice also mastered Tamil and also preached in that language.
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