Stained glass window inside the church

The churchyard

St. John in the Wilderness is a Church of North India church dedicated to John the Baptist built
in 1852, located near Dharamshala, India, on the way to McLeodGanj, at Forsyth Gunj. Set
amidst deodar forest, and built in neo-Gothic architecture, the church is known for its Belgian
stained-glass windows donated by Lady Elgin (Mary Louisa Lambton), wife of Lord Elgin.
Though the church structure survived the 1905 Kangra earthquake, which killed close to 19,800
people, injured thousands in the Kangra area, and destroyed most buildings
in Kangra, Mcleodganj and Dharamshala; its spire, Bell tower, was destroyed. Later, a new bell,
cast in 1915 by Mears and Stainbank, was brought from England and installed outside in the
compound of the church.

Memorial[edit]

Grave memorial of James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin, Viceroy of India (1862–1863) at the church

Its churchyard is the final resting place of Lord Elgin, who served as Governor General of the
Province of Canada, oversaw the Creation of Responsible Government in Canada, and later,
while in China, ordered the complete destruction of the Old Summer Palace. He
became Governor-General & Viceroy of India in 1861 during the British Raj, though he soon died
at Dharamshala on 20 November 1863, and was buried there.

Date  4th April 1905

  Epicentre:  3.9 kilometers south of Pathyar (H.P.), India
  Latitude:  32.10o N (2)
  Longitude:  76.40o E (2)
  Origin Time:  06:19:48 IST (2)
  Magnitude:  Mw 7.8 (2), Ms 7.8 (1)
This magnificent church is built amid the picturesque valley
of Mcleodganj and is located about 8 kms away from
Dharamshala. The church lies in a dense jungle between
Mcleodganj and Forsythganj and is a monument dedicated to
Lord Elgin, one of the viceroys of India, who died at
Chauntra (Mandi district) and was buried here in 1863 A.D.
This classic church, which has a Christian cemetery
surrounding it, has lovely glass windows and boost amazing
architectural design. It is ideally situated in the majestic
'Deodar' forest in the wilderness.
The St. John Church is an Anglican church dedicated to John
the Baptist, and is built in neo-Gothic architecture. Its main
attraction, the Belgian stained-glass windows were donated
by Lady Elgin, wife of Lord Elgin. The structure is so
powerful that it survived the 1905 Kangra earthquake, which
killed close to 19,800 people and destroyed most buildings in
Kangra, Mcleodganj, and Dharamshala.