St. Mary's Church

St. Mary's Church is a historic heritage church located in Kotgarh near Thanedar in Shimla district, Himachal Pradesh. Established in 1872 by the Church Missionary Society from London, it is one of the oldest churches in the region and features Gothic architectural elements with a wooden steeple. The church is closely associated with American missionary Samuel Stokes, who introduced apple cultivation to the area and was married here. It remains an active place of worship surrounded by apple orchards and hills.

Visitors can expect to see a quaint yellow-painted wooden church with Gothic architectural details, stained glass panels depicting Christ, old wooden benches, and an inscription in Urdu on the walls. The church is situated amidst apple orchards and offers scenic views of the surrounding Himalayan hills. Sunday mass is held around 11:00 AM with readings from a Hindi Bible. An adjacent historic school building, Gorten Mission School, built at the same time as the church, can also be viewed.

Established in 1872 by the Church Missionary Society from London when Kotgarh was part of Punjab province, St. Mary's Church is one of the oldest churches in North India. American missionary Samuel Evans Stokes (later Satyananda Stokes) was married at this church and later introduced Red Delicious apple rootstock to the region in 1916, transforming Himachal Pradesh into a major apple-producing state. The church has remained largely unchanged since its construction and represents early British missionary activity in the Himalayan foothills.

The church serves as a cultural landmark representing the intersection of Christian missionary work and local Himalayan community life. It continues to hold Sunday services attended by local Christians using Hindi-language Bibles. The site is culturally linked to the legacy of Samuel Stokes, who adopted Indian customs, converted to Hinduism, and participated in India's independence movement while maintaining ties to this Christian heritage site.