Velankanni: History
T he Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health at Velankanni is one of the most important Catholic pilgrimage centres in Asia. It is popularly called the Lourdes of the East. One man named Vidyasagar Gurumoorthy , who claims to be a Hindu ascetic, has been making vociferous claims about the Hindu roots of this church in the last few weeks. There’s absolutely no historical evidence for his claim. Velankanni was a small fishing/coastal village which did not draw the attention of any historian or traveller until the Portuguese arrived in the area. Nagapattinam was the nearest place of any importance because of its seaport which had trade relations with the Romans and Greeks for centuries. Buddhist activity in Nagapattinam is well documented. The Chudamani Vihara, a Buddhist monastery, was built or endowed in the early 11 th century with support from Chola king Rajaraja I and the Srivijaya (Sailendra) rulers of Sumatra. There were also Hindu temples and local goddess (Amman) worship a...
