Our Lady of Vailankanni Chimbai Bandra

Our Lady of Vailankanni Chimbai Bandra, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

I shot this at Chimbai fishing village many years back...


Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Our_Lady_of_Good_Health

The Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health is located at the small town of Velankanni in the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India. The Roman Catholic Basilica is devoted to Our Lady of Good Health. Devotion to Our Lady of Good Health of Velankanni can be traced to the mid-16th century and is attributed to three miracles at different sites around where the Bacilica currently stands: the apparition of Mary and the Christ Child to a slumbering shepherd boy, the curing of a lame buttermilk vendor, and the rescue of Portuguese sailors from a violent sea storm.[1]

Although all three apparitions ultimately resulted in the erection of a shrine to our Lady, it was the promise of the Portuguese sailors that was the proximate cause of a permanent edifice being built at Velankanni. The chapel was dedicated on the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (September 8), the day of their safe landing. More than 500 years later, the nine-day festival and celebration is still observed and draws nearly 2 million pilgrims each year. The Shrine of Our Lady of Vailankanni, also known as the "Lourdes of the East,"[2] is one of the most frequented religious sites in India.

Though there are no historical documents or records about the Apparitions of Mary at Vailankanni, the oral tradition substantiates the two apparitions of the Blessed Mother of Vailankanni in the 16th century and the saving of the Portuguese sailors from a tempest in the Bay of Bengal in the later 17th century.[3]
[edit] Apparitions
Main article: Our Lady of Good Health

The first of the apparitions in Vailankanni is claimed to be to a Hindu boy during the mid sixteenth century. It is said that Mary appeared to him and requested milk for her Son to which the boy readily agreed. Later, upon reaching the home of the customer the boy had intended to deliver the milk to, he apologized for his delay and the reduced amount of milk by relating the incident that occurred on his way. However, upon inspection of his order, the customer found the milk pot to be full and was convinced that something miraculous had happened. Together the man, also a Hindu, and the boy returned to the place where the apparition had occurred. When they reached the pond, Our Lady appeared once again. On learning that it was Our Lady who appeared to the boy, the residents of the local Catholic community became ecstatic and promptly renamed the pond Matha Kulam or, Our Lady's Pond.[4]

The construction of a chapel or church is attributed to the second apparition, not the first. This time, it is said, Mary appeared to a crippled boy (and also a son of a widow) in a place called Nadu Thittu. The boy is claimed to have offered her buttermilk and then be cured of his illness. The Catholics in the nearby town of Nagapattinam are said to have built the first shrine after being informed of the incident. [5]
[edit] Portuguese sailors

In the 17th century, a Portuguese merchant vessel, sailing from Macau in China to Colombo was caught in a tempest in the Bay of Bengal. The sailors, then at the point of desolation, vowed to build a chapel in the name of the Virgin Mary wherever they could reach safety. The legends claim that the stormy sea became quiet and their ship reached the shore of Vailankanni on 8 September, the birthday of Mary. Fulfilling their vow, the Portuguese sailors put up a chapel at Vailankanni by transforming the earlier thatched chapel. On their next visit, the Portuguese decorated the altar with porcelain plates illustrating Biblical themes. [3]
[edit] From shrine to basilica

The shrine that started as a thatched chapel in the mid sixteenth century became a parish church in 1771 when Catholics in India were under persecution from the Dutch. Later in 1962 it was granted a Special status of a Minor Basilica by Pope John XXIII.[6]

Pilgrims to the basilica are common during September, around the time of the feast. Then, millions from all over India and abroad come to join in prayers. The feast day prayers are said in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Konkani, Hindi and English.[13] The pilgrims include people of many faith backgrounds, especially including Hindus as well as Christians. The centuries of pilgrimages and devotion by Hindus have had a profound influence on Marian devotion in Velankanni.She is sometimes prayed and said to be the Meenakshi and Kamakshi of Vailankanni. According to Goan and konkan coast Hindus she is called Shantadurga (most compassionate one).[14] This especially includes use of kotimaram, which has been described as an extended influence of Hinduism on Catholicism. This has made the Basilica a meeting point of two of the major religions of the world.[15] It is said that the portrayal of Virgin Mary as a curer of illness and a victor over all demonic forces is seen by local Hindus as an attribute equivalent of Hindu Goddess Mariamman.[16] Such pilgrims are also common during Christmas.[17]

The town of Velakanni was affected by the tsunami on Boxing day of 2004 causing heavy loss of life but no damage to the Church.[18] Aftermath of the tsunami found slowing down of pilgrims for a year.[19]