Chapter 17

At the age of 14, Lord Krishna led Pi to meet Jesus Christ. The Patels took a rare family vacation to Munnar, famous for its tea estates and surrounded by hills. It began as a typical family vacation with tours of the tea estates and visits to the national park where they fed goats. During the first morning in Munnar, Pi observed three hills that stood out from the others. Atop each hill was a temple. A Hindu temple resided on one, a mosque on the second and a Christian church on the third hill.Pi had never been inside a Christian church and one afternoon he decided to investigate. The first building he came to was the rectory. He watched the priest and assistant priest seated in their office, studying. The following day he meets Father Martin on a return trip and learns more of Christianity and the nature of Jesus and his sacrifice. Pi tries to understand by comparing Hindu deities to the Christian faith but fails in doing so. Over the course of days, the two meet often and Pi answers numerous questions, attempting to learn more. Many of the answers end with “love” as the simple answer and Pi begins to relate Christianity with the concept of love. He decides he will become a Christian, praying at the church, then going back to the Hindu temple and praying thanks for helping him find the Catholic faith.