A church in Kerala has dedicated to Mother Teresa, who was beatified by Pope John Paul II on Sunday, what it says is the world's tallest oil lamp.
P R M Lakshmana Iyer and Associates, owned by Hindus K L Sarma and Venkitachalam, has constructed the 26-foot-high brass lamp, installed at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Koothattukulam, central Kerala.
Mother Teresa: The Road to Sainthood
Eighteen workers took eight months to finish the lamp, which weighs 6,000 kg and can hold 1,001 wicks.
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It has nine tiers and a pedestal, and cost the church Rs 24 lakh (Rs 2.4 million).
"This is indeed our dedication for religious harmony for Mother Teresa. We are happy that our church has the biggest oil lamp in the world," Father George Vellooparambil, vicar of the church, told rediff.com
"We want this to be the symbol of love and mercy that Mother Teresa represented," the vicar said.
He came up with the idea in order to make the church a congregation centre for people of all religions. "I felt that erecting the world's largest oil lamp would attract people," he added.
The priest is happy that people of all religions donated generously to the making of the lamp.
To begin with, he asked 1,001 families to donate Rs 1,001 each for casting the 1,001-wick lamp. Then people from other districts came forward to donate money.
The lamp is operated on hydraulics. It is kept in a subsurface chamber and lifted on Tuesdays, when people come to pray. "We believe that wishes of anyone who lights nine wicks in nine weeks will come true," he said.
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