South India · Tamil Nadu
Velankanni, Tamil Nadu
Sources: wikimedia
Before you go
The 'Lourdes of the East': India's largest Christian pilgrimage, drawing millions across faiths; the annual festival runs 29 August-8 September.
About Velankanni
- Coastal
Where it is
Velankanni is a coastal town on the Bay of Bengal in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu, about 12 km south of Nagapattinam at the southern edge of the Kaveri delta.
History
Catholic tradition tells of apparitions of the Virgin Mary here in the 16th century, to a shepherd boy and to a lame buttermilk seller, and of Portuguese sailors saved from a storm who rebuilt her chapel in thanksgiving. The shrine of Our Lady of Good Health was made a minor basilica in 1962, and the town was badly hit by the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004.
People
Velankanni's people speak Tamil and live from fishing and the pilgrim trade, and the shrine draws Catholics and people of many other faiths. Pilgrims light candles, offer wax models in thanks for healing, walk on their knees to the basilica and have their heads tonsured in fulfilment of vows.
Known for
- The Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health
- The annual feast from 29 August to 8 September
- Our Lady's Tank, the shrine of the apparition
- Velankanni beach
Did you know?
The Portuguese sailors of the shrine's legend are said to have come ashore on 8 September, the feast of Mary's Nativity, the day on which the annual festival still ends.
Shrines and sites
- Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health
- Morning Star Church
- Our Lady's Tank
- Velankanni beach
Traditions
- Christian
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.