Velankanni Basilica

The Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health at Velankanni grew from three sixteenth and seventeenth century apparition traditions, including one in which shipwrecked Portuguese sailors were saved and built a chapel in thanks, and it became one of the largest Christian pilgrimage sites in Asia. The Gothic-style white basilica was raised to that status in 1962. What distinguishes it is who comes: a large share of the millions of annual pilgrims are Hindu and Muslim, arriving with the same vows, tonsuring and offerings used at Hindu shrines. The eleven-day festival ending on 8 September is the peak. The 2004 tsunami killed many here.

What you actually see

• The white basilica - the Gothic-style church with its twin towers.
• The mixed pilgrimage - Hindu and Muslim visitors alongside Christians.
• The offering practices - tonsure, vows and thanksgiving models in metal.
• The beach - the shore where the tsunami struck in 2004.

When to go

October to March; the September festival is the largest gathering and the town fills entirely. Cyclone season runs October to December on this coast.

Honest expectations

Festival crowds are enormous with limited facilities. The town outside the basilica is given over to stalls selling religious goods. Accommodation is basic and books out around September.

Nearby

Nagapattinam lies north; Tranquebar is further north.