Maravankudieruppu

The first ever St.Thomas Cross was venerated in the south east end of the Kurusady Thattu on the banks of the Channel(Southern part of Thurai Thattu was called as Kurusady Thattu because of the St. Thomas Cross platform) The Ezhasa Naadu Traders have built roof and amenities in the 1600s and it was the first church built.

The second church was built on the western bank of the Water Channel flowing from the Maathaa Puthumai Kuzham (Maatha Pond). A large flood overflew the Channels destroyed the first Church. So the Thomas Cross was installed above the Tomb of Veera Thuravi Swamiyadiyaar Thirupappur.And the Second Church was constructed adjuscent to the Tomb. The remains of the five nephews of Swamy Adiyaar and their children were also buried adjuscent to the Church as was the practice in Portugul. Now the church cambus became the Cemetery for the entire Village residents and the Parish members.

The third church was a very short lived church. It was built on the eastern bank of the Maatha Canal just South East of the Maatha Puthumai Kuzham.

The fourth church was designed by the Architects of the Travancore Kingdom and was built in the late 1950s when Travancore was taken over by the indian Union. The economy hit very low due to the Indian Union's forceful take over famines and by the world wars. But the people of Maravankudieruppu with the community effort, including women and children completed the construction. It was built on the Centre of the Kurusadi Thattu. The whole structure of the church is supported by seven concrete arches, without any pillars. The door frames were made of stone. The church was solely built only by the contributions of the Villagers. A bus full of Civil Engineering Students from Chennai Engineering College ( Now Anna University) had visited to understand how a 40 feet span construction was made without any pillars.

The fifth church is getting built on the Kurusady Thattu (The Plateau of the Cross) in the same place where the fourth church was demolished by anti social elements. It is constructed as the highest Church in India with two floors.

The Angelus bell (Thirikala Mani) rings at noon, and women converge on the fish market. No Sunday lunch is complete without red meat such as mutton, beef, chicken and pork. Consuming alcohol inside the house or at the dining table is a big taboo, even though drinking in a bar is acceptable. Food has a blend of Paandiya and Chera taste. Some of the commonly made dishes/snacks at home are Ittili, Dosai (rice pan cake),Puttu (steamed rice cake), Aappam and Edi-Aappam (rice noodles). Variety of porridge finds their place in the kitchen like Pazhaya kanji, Ulundam kanchi, Chiru Payiru Kanji, Perum Payiru Kanji and with grated Coconut, Thuvayal and Pappadam.

The festival sweets like Acchi murukku, Athirasam, Panniyaaram and mundiri kotthu find prominence during the Christmas season.

Some regular dishes served are:

Fish curry of more than 25 flavours 13 vegetable Aviyal 13 Vegetable Saambaar

Sports: football is most popular game in the village. Every body well know football game.

Thukka Pattu (துக்க பாட்டு), a tradition by which the parishioners visit every Catholic house singing requiems in an around 8 km2, knocking the doors to collect rice, coconuts, grams and money to prepare gruel. In Church premises, the parish people cook porridge/gruel (கஞ்சி) and all the people take it after the Palm Sunday Holy Mass.

கூட்டான் சோற ு: A tradition by which all the children gather and share all the rice/grams/spices shared from home, and find a commonplace mostly under the tamarind tree and cook their meal themselves, replicating what their mom does daily in her kitchen. Its mostly organised by the eldest unmarried woman of that locale.

Oor Koodi Asanam On the last week of every May month, Maravankudieruppu people have been celebrating the feast day of its founder Swamy Adiyaar. Garlands used to be adorned on his Tomb. Thamizh veera tradition of remembering a King or a Veeran is to erect a pillar in the name of the King or the Veeran and garlanding it sacrificing goats and presenting padyal and eating together while some leader recalls the Kings good things. Similarly in Maravankudieruppu, in olden days a flag pole used to be erected, and then the permanently built flag post was used as the remembering pillar of Swamy Adiyaar. Special Holy Mass used to be celebrated in Swamy Adiyaar's name. Garlands used to be thronged the flagpost, people showered flowers and Asanam used to be conducted near the flagpost. Now a days Asanam is Packed for each family and are shared in the Maatha Mahhal

Chutru Vaanam

Kallara Vasippu

Mulaippaari and Kummiyadi

kazhari and Chilambam

Thamizhar Aruvadai Thiruvizha, Eucharistic Procession, Good Friday&Easter, 31 days of May Month for Mother Mary, Community Dining on Swamy Adiyaar feast day (Asanam), 10 Day Village Festival and Christmas, are the most celebrated festivals.

This parish is well known for its contributions to social welfare. The below listed self made establishments support this:

• St. Mary's Primary School (Est. 1909 CE) (Centenary Celebration) and was the first school to cater to the people of the southern part of the town, extending till the shores of the Indian Ocean.
• Bishop Arockyasamy Hr. Sec. School,
• Matha Mahal, Mini Mandapam - Community Hall
• Vincent De Paul Society.
• Ozanam free Clinic run by Vincent De Paul Society
• Tailoring and Play school run by St. Annes Convent
• In 2004 tsunami, the parishioners not only contributed money but also shared their houses to accommodate in their homes, the displaced tsunami victims

• Kannyakumari District Armed Reserve Police Headquarters
• Kannyakumari Dt. Fair Price Shop, Co-Op Bank Society
• Women's welfare dept office
• District Regional Transport Office

The Church Building was an Engineering Marvel and was built by the sweat of the Village People. The Church has the Parish Council to manage and administer the Spiritual Activities of the Church. Without the wish of the Village People, the church parish council had proposed to demolish the existing church. Those who oppose this are of the contention that this the existing structure is an engineering marvel, with no pillars, and also of the view to protect the heritage. Their claim to leave them as such, and build the new one nearby. In November 2011, the civil patrons of the church got a stay order from the district court, to stop demolishing the church building, citing its architectural values.

The plan is further dropped, when the Parish Priest, who promised the parish council to bring in a major share of donations from Germany, announced bluntly in a Sunday Mass, about his in inability to find any donors during his visit abroad.

Demolished Church 17 February 2012 is observed as a 'Black Day', as, on that day of 2012, few vandals and hooligans demolished the altar and removed the statues & shut the church doors permanently, in spite of the court stay order. Now the whole issue is pending before the High Court of Madurai Bench.

On 23 August 2012, 2:00 AM, the entire Southern wall & the arch pillars of the church were demolished by a gang of masked hooligans armed with axes/knives by a bulldozer. FIR was registered against 20 persons, all belonging to the parish, mainly consisting of Parish Council members.

On Sept 13, the Bishop of Kottar condemned this activity.

While the court battle is still on, the parishioners started building a new massive church, with the similar architecture but bigger in size and as of now, it has reached the completion of the roof.

• Maravankudieruppu home page
• Nadar Sangam Page
• Police Station
• Co-operative Banks
• Controversy

• Maravankudieruppu Portal
• Category:Maravankudieruppu, India at The Work of God's Children wiki