In the second part, Dr. Roopali tells us about a revered pilgrimage of the Catholics at Sardhana, the abode of the Miracle Mother. An exclusive for Different Truths.

What is a miracle? Is it a wondrous happening, a thing of magic or just a series of coincidences?  In my eleven–year-old child mind, it was a miracle place. An Enid Blyton mystery story. 

Sardhana was a mantra in Dehradun in the missionary school where I was a student. Mother Superior was perpetually either in Rome or in Sardhana. Sometimes we saw her stern face and sometimes just the swish of her veil.

Sardhana just stayed in my mind. The name continued to evoke a faraway unknown place.  

No one seemed to think it was necessary to tell me. It seemed too sacrosanct for casual enquiries. I persisted. “It is where we visit our Miracle Church blessed by Virgin Mary. It is our holy place,” I was told.

Vision of Virgin Mary

“In a vision, Virgin Mary appeared to Sumru, queen of Sardhana.  She became a Catholic and built the holiest church in India.” In Sister Imelda’s story, the Lady of Lourdes had appeared to Begum Sumru.

It seems she sent an emissary to Lourdes in France to get a portrait. She then installed it in a special shrine inside the Church. Our lady of Lourdes in France is the patron saint of healing. Now, I am told the portrait is from Tuscany, in Italy. That the portrait of the Lady of Graces was brought to India is a miracle! 

Today, she is known as Kripaon ki Mata. Merciful Mother. Thousands travel every year to kneel before her. Christians and Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs and people of all faiths, and they say no one returns empty-handed. She answers all our prayers. 

Deep in a secret corner of my heart, I grew up longing to see Sardhana. Years later, I discovered my “sasural” was only 19 km away. But no one ever found the time to take me there

A Magnificent Miracle Church

One late night, I received a phone call, “I am going to Sardhana. Do you want to come along?” It was a friend in deep trouble. The factory she ran had been shut down. She was in deep financial trouble, compounded by other hassles. And that is how I first saw the magnificent miracle church of Virgin Mary!

All journeys are written. I had finally made it to one of the holiest Catholic churches in company led by a devout Hindu woman.  They say if you want something badly enough, the universe conspires to bring it to you. It was a miracle!

The Grandeur

The tree-lined avenue led to the church. I ran up the stairs to the main prayer hall. I stood stunned by its grandeur. Marble floors and ceiling chandeliers gleamed and twinkled. Pews after pews stood witness to two hundred years.

I looked for Sister Imelda, Mother Superior Marie Antoinette, and Sister Anne Marie. They tumbled out of my school memories. I touched everything I could with sheer disbelief and wonder. 

A church volunteer of sorts escorted us to the most holy miracle place. Inside an alcove, in a shrine looking serene and divine, Mother Mary held the baby Jesus in her arms.  It is here that she waits to hear from us. We knelt and prayed.

The Lady of Graces

I had asked and I had received. I was in Sardhana. Not long after we were there, my friend made a thank you visit. And suddenly, I became an emissary of the Lady of Graces, Kripaon ki Mata. I invited friends and relatives, and they came rushing, never doubting her miracle powers. They asked and they received in abundance. 

During my son’s wedding some years ago, we decided to take our guests to visit sights around town. Jennifer, a wedding guest from abroad, asked me if I knew of a place called Sardhana.

“I have already planned your visit! But how do you know?” I asked. She was very excited.

When the Reverend priest at her church in New York learned of her first time visit to Meerut, he told her about the holy church of the Mother of Miracles in Sardhana. He was from Kerala. For Jennifer, a Catholic, this would be a pilgrimage.  

Church was Closed

So off they went in a jaunty jalopy over a rough road full of rocks and stones. It took an hour to cover 19 km, only to find the church was closed that day!  All the way from New York and the church doors were shut. “Aapka bulawa nahi aya hai,” the driver explained matter-of-factly. You have not been summoned yet.

They say God helps those who help themselves.

Another wedding guest, a Tamilian Brahmin from Karnataka took charge. Not long after, a tired looking Reverend Father explained, “Nine days of the Feast of our Lady of Graces has concluded last night. Hundreds of thousands of people had attended. Today it is a rest day for the staff. Come, I will open the church for you.” Behold another miracle!

Disappointment to Devotion

As the wide doors flung open for the eager devout pilgrim, we all turned pilgrims. Even the touristy reluctant Robert, a protestant. This could never have happened in San Diego, California. Disappointment turned to devotion. And Jennifer and a few others found ourselves in the presence of Kripaon ki Mata. 

Mother of all Graces never turns away her children. And she will lead us to Jesus.

I sat in the lobby of the Marriott in Ottawa, Canada waiting for my poet friend Paula to bring down her luggage. We were checking out that day. Suddenly, I saw something shining next to my foot. I bent to pick it up, and found it was an oval silver medallion inside a transparent pouch. I could clearly see an etching of the Virgin Mary with baby Jesus cradled in her arms. I looked at it carefully. “Our Lady of Graces!”

I looked around to see if someone was looking for it. Finding no one, I dropped it into my purse, and off we went to find the street market from last night. We wanted to shop a little more before we got on our respective flights that evening. We walked and walked for miles and could not find the market.

Finally, after an hour of knocking about we found ourselves in front of a massive church. Lost and found we entered the church – Our Lady of Graces! I returned to India with the silver medallion in my purse. 

Canada to Cochin

Just off a vacation flight to Cochin, I heard a voice call out to me. It was an old colleague and friend, Ahmed. We chatted as we waited for our luggage, and he told me his wife Fatima was seriously ill. I was rummaging in my purse for my baggage tags. My fingers encountered everything under the sun, and suddenly, a piece of metal! It was the Virgin Mary medallion I had found at the Marriott hotel in faraway Ottawa. So long ago.

A whisper in my heart said, “Give it to Ahmed.” So, I took his hand and put it in his palm and closed it. He opened it like a curious child and gasped, “Kripaon ki Mata! How did you get this? You know I have not visited Sardhana in a long time. My grandmother lives there, and she had a special novena done for my wife Fatima.”

Another miracle! I felt a sense of relief. I had handed over the medallion. It was for him.

Tawaif to Begum

From tawaif to begum from Muslim to Christian from a war lord to a church builder and from poverty to philanthropist, Begun Sumru’s journey is a spiritual journey. Life, too, is a miraculous journey. From being to becoming. 

The COVID-19 pandemic broke out and the world was padlocked. One by one people began to fall sick. Sometimes it was a close friend or relative, or a pen pal from social media who I had never met. In an unprecedented happening Temples, Churches, Masjids closed their doors and we stayed home and prayed at home.

Sacredness returned to our homes. Each day at sunrise, I folded my hands. And facing Sardhana I prayed for help. Kripaon Ki Mata, Our Lady of Graces never disappointed me. The miracle continues because as Alfred Lord Tennyson said, “more things are wrought by prayer than the world dreams of.”  

Multi Faith Inclusion

Sardhana is a bit of India, precious in its multi faith inclusion. On my 17^th birthday, my father wrote me unforgettable lines. “Go to any house of God and offer your prayers.” The mother figure of the Virgin Mary spiritually blends with our Indian cultural love and reverence for the

Mother Goddess figure.

It does not matter how you wish to pray to the Almighty. What matters is that we pray for all God’s creatures. 

In Sardhana, we kneel and invoke the benign Goddess in us!

Photos by Aruna Rao   

Dr. Roopali Sircar Gaur

Dr. Roopali Sircar Gaur is a poet, travel writer, and social justice activist. A former professor of English Literature at Delhi University, and a creative writing professor at IGNOU, she is a widely published academic and creative writer. Her book Twice Colonised: Women in African Literature, is a seminal text on women’s socio-political empowerment. In 2020-21, she co-edited two poetry anthologies – In All the Spaces: Diverse Voices in Global Women’s Poetry, and Earth Fire Water Wind.

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