110 - Lalibela - The churches that Gods Built!

Picture Courtesy: https://pixabay.com/photos/ethiopia-axum-lalibela-africa-4117559/

The next day morning, we were up early and ready. Today was the big day, the culmination of our tour – a visit to the famed Lalibela churches. Our Hotel’s owner’s son Meswin volunteered to be our guide. Being a guide was a big thing in Lalibela.

BBC documentary on Lalibela Churches 

For the impoverished Lalibela population, the churches were a source of steady income. Smart youngsters like Meswin could speak 4 to 5 languages. They are not very proficient but could manage English, French, German, and a smattering of Hebrew the official Israeli language. Israel and Ethiopia have cordial relationship and a sect of Jews called the black Jews were dramatically airlifted to Israel in 1991. 

Christened Operation Solomon, it was a daredevil covert Israeli military operation that airlifted Ethiopian Jews to Israel on May 24 and May 25, 1991. Non-stop flights of 35 Israeli aircraft, including Israeli Air Force C-130s and El Al Boeing 747s, transported 14,325 Ethiopian Jews to Israel in 36 hours. Called Black Jews or Bete Israelis most Ethiopian Jews have since left Ethiopia and have settled in Israel.

The unofficial charge for a guide was 100 birr per person. In 2003 it was a jaw-dropping price (maids worked for roughly 50 birr/month). For our tour party, it would translate to 1200/- birr and I told Meswin that we are not ready to pay so much. After haggling front and back he grudgingly agreed to a fee of 500/- birr. The only silver lining, he would surreptitiously manage to get permissions to allow Videography. Videography charges would have cost us another 250/- birr!   

 

The first church that we visited was Bete Medhane Alem, the biggest rock-hewn church in the world. It was a magnificent church with an imposing roof. The church was so big that UNESCO feared that it would cave in. All the churches have extensive water wells and the experts thought that the water could weaken the church structure. The church is supported by Iron beams and scaffolding. Somehow the iron beams and the scaffolding marred the beauty of Bete Medhane Alem. The roof was quite high and no snap or videography could do justice to the raw beauty of Bete Medhane Alem.

 

Picture Courtesy: https://pixabay.com/photos/ethiopia-axum-lalibela-africa-4117569/

The main deity is never shown to the visitors. The deity is always behind a curtain. The smiling priests would proudly show old leather paintings, antique bibles, and ceremonial crosses. They would pose for snaps. The minute a request is made the priest would whip out and don his Rayban glasses. 

 Picture Courtesy: https://pixabay.com/photos/axum-lalibela-religion-priest-4117558/

Oh no, it is not that they were fashion-conscious (of course the priests were debonair and photogenic.  Most looked better than Tom Cruise in their cool shades).

 

The Rayban glasses were worn to protect the priest’s eyes from the camera flashlights. We need to remember that it was 2003 and we had only normal SLRs and did not have the luxury of digital camera technology.

 

The Compound wall of the church had small rock crevices for prayers. The space was cramped. I sat in a crevice and it was difficult to stay put for a few minutes, but Orthodox Christian monks spend hours and sometimes days in the small crevices chanting and reading the holy bible written in Geez the Ethiopian holy language.   

  

Some churches were at a lower level and had steps that were quite slippery. It was pretty dark and it is still a mystery to me as to how the entire carving was managed. It was hot, humid, and quite claustrophobic. Each church had huge pillars inside, mostly rough carvings on the walls, and some had carvings on the roof too!    

Then it was time to visit St Goergis church. St Goergis church is a civil engineering wonder. It is built apart from the other churches. The church is carved 150 feet below the ground. The church stands independently by itself in the ground surrounded by a circular moat. From the top, the church looks like a perfect cross. This church is exquisitely carved just like the carvings in an Indian temple (There are fables that say Indian expertise was made available and Goergis has the fine finish, the trademark of south Indian temples).!

  

Access to the church is through a narrow and dark tunnel. A natural water spring flows on the inside wall of the church. But for some unknown reasons, the natural spring is not shown to the visitors and is covered by a fine satin cloth.

Inside the church were 12 skeletons of holy visitors from Israel. They are believed to have come from Jerusalem and have stayed, prayed, and perished in the church itself. The water from the natural water source is supposed to be holy and is said to treat incurable diseases.

 It was a matter of faith. We too tasted the water. It is definitely refreshing. Once we were done with the visit of the church, we climbed the rock face from where we could peep into Goergis church and marvel at the exactness and intricateness of the cross-shaped church.

 I asked Meswin, “Why are the churches built at such faraway places and why should the faithful take so much pain and effort to reach them?” The answer from Meswin came in a flash, “Mr. Anil, it is the god’s way of testing the faith of his followers. There is a church Abuna Yemata Guh, a similar monolithic church located in the Hawzen Woreda in the Tigray. It is situated at a height of 2,580 metres (8,460 feet) and has to be climbed on foot to reach it. 

It is notable for its dome and wall paintings dating back to the 5th century and its architecture. It is death-defying even to try reaching the church. Only the most faithful, most athletic, and the most experienced hikers and mountain climbers can even attempt to reach this most difficult church. The journey itself is a test, and one has to have complete faith in the almighty to even undertake the journey" 

Later research on Google revealed some astonishing facts. The entrance to the church is reached by a steep and hazardous ascent with hand and footholds in the rocks.      

Visitors have to cross a natural stone bridge with a sheer drop of approximately 250 metres on either side and thereafter walk on a final narrow wooden footbridge. A strenuous ascent is followed by a climb up a vertical rock wall depending entirely on handgrips and footholds (without additional support) crowned with a walk over a 50 cm (only) wide ledge facing a cliff of 300 metres (980 feet) sheer drop.

I was shell-shocked. Seeing my bewildered expression, Meswin called a time out. He said, “Lunch break”, effectively breaking me from the spiritual puzzlement! – 1126!