India GOThe Virgin Mary in India: Velankanni, Bandra, Vallarpadam and her September feasts
Sancta Maria · ܡܪܝܡ
The Mother of God as India dresses her: in a sari, crowned and garlanded; her feasts in September draw pilgrims of every faith.
The Virgin Mary, a Jewish woman of Nazareth and the mother of Jesus, is honoured in India under many local titles, and her biggest shrines draw pilgrims of other faiths as well as Christians. The year turns on 8 September, the feast of her Nativity: Velankanni on the Tamil coast, the hill of Bandra in Mumbai and St Mary’s in Bengaluru all fill in the same fortnight, with novenas, processions and queues of people come to keep a vow.
Story
Each shrine keeps its own story: at Bandra, Koli fishermen pulled a statue from the sea; at Vallarpadam a Nair woman and her child were saved from drowning in the backwaters; at Velankanni a lame boy selling buttermilk was healed and Portuguese sailors were spared a storm. Whoever the story belongs to, the Mother is dressed as an Indian bride, carried on a chariot and offered coconuts and wax limbs. Hindu and Muslim neighbours come to her feasts as to their own.
“He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and lifted up the lowly.”
Luke 1:52, the Magnificat
Places linked to them
Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount · Mumbai St. Mary's Basilica · Bengaluru Vallarpadam Basilica (National Shrine of Our Lady of Ransom) · Kochi Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Church · GoaFestivals
Her shrines and the names India gives her
Each shrine has its own name for her and its own story of how she came to it.
Our Lady of Good Health, Velankanni (Tamil Nadu)
Three traditions stand behind the shrine: an apparition to a boy delivering milk in 1570, the healing of a lame buttermilk seller in 1597 and Portuguese sailors saved from a storm on 8 September, later in the 17th century. Pope John XXIII made it a minor basilica in 1962 and called it “the Lourdes of the East”.
Our Lady of the Mount, Bandra, Mumbai
A basilica on a hill about 80 m above the Arabian Sea; the present building is about a century old. By legend a Koli fisherman dreamt of the statue floating in the sea and found it there the next day. People come with a mannat (a wish or vow) and light wax candles shaped as the body part that needs healing.
Vallarpadathamma, Vallarpadam, Kochi
The National Shrine of Our Lady of Ransom on an island reached over the Goshree bridges from Ernakulam. Its venerated picture was recovered from the backwaters after the flood of 1676. Free entry; the feast runs 16–24 September.
St Mary’s Basilica, Bengaluru
Karnataka’s only minor basilica, in Shivajinagar next to Russell Market: a Gothic church finished in 1882 on the site of a 17th-century chapel. See St Mary’s Basilica.
Immaculate Conception, Panjim, Goa
The white church on the zig-zag staircase, built in 1541 and rebuilt in 1619; sailors came here to give thanks after the monsoon crossing. See the church page.
September: the Marian month
The feast of Mary’s Nativity on 8 September sets the calendar for most of her shrines.
| Where | When | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Velankanni | 29 August – 8 September | Eleven days from the flag-hoisting to the feast; people of other faiths take part too |
| Bandra, Mumbai | From the Sunday after 8 September, for a week | The Bandra Fair at the basilica, with wax offerings and vows |
| St Mary’s, Bengaluru | Around 8 September | A nine-day novena, then the feast, one of the city’s largest shared festivals |
| Vallarpadam, Kochi | 16–24 September | Nine days for Vallarpadathamma, the main feast on 24 September |
In December the same churches fill again for Christmas, most of all in Goa.
Why people of every faith come
At Velankanni some pilgrims shave their heads as an offering, a custom that comes from Hindu devotion, carry offerings and make vows as they would at a temple or a dargah, and some walk the sand path to the basilica on their knees. Part of the bond is shared scripture. In Islam Mary is Maryam, the only woman named in the Quran, and its nineteenth chapter, Surah Maryam, carries her name.
Visitors of any faith are welcome; modest clothing and quiet during Mass are what is asked.
❓ FAQ
What religion was the Virgin Mary?
She was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee. Christians honour her as the Mother of God, and in Islam she is Maryam, the only woman named in the Quran.
Why do Catholics pray to Mary?
Catholic teaching holds that Mary is not divine: Catholics venerate her and ask for her intercession, and prayers are answered by God, not by her.
When is the Velankanni feast?
Every year from 29 August, when the flag is raised, to 8 September, the feast of Mary’s Nativity.
Can non-Christians visit these shrines?
Yes. All of them welcome visitors of any faith; dress modestly and keep quiet during services.
Why are wax body parts offered at Bandra?
People ask for healing by lighting a candle shaped like the ailing part of the body, a leg, a hand, a heart, and return to give thanks.