Maravankudieruppu

The church is built on the Kurusady Thattu (The Plateau of the Cross). It follows the Roman Catholic Rite but maintains pure Thamizh rituals. The Priests are deputed by the Kottar RC Diocese and is an individual parish. There are more than 1500 Catholic families in the parish, with a population of over 5,000. The current church was built in the late 1950s by the local population in a community effort, including women and children, mostly during the weekends.

The first church was built in 1730 on the south east end of the Kurusady Thattu, and on the banks of the Channel, where the St. Thomas Cross was identified. The second enlarged church was built east of the Water Channel in 1810. The third large church 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 parishioners.

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.

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 (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

1. Kannyakumari District Armed Reserve Police Headquarters
2. Kannyakumari Dt. Fair Price Shop, Co-Op Bank Society
3. Women's welfare dept office
4. 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

• Homepage of maravankudieruppu
• The Holy Roasary
• Maravankudieruppu,_Election booth Primary School
• Do not demolish the Maravi church - campaign
• Maravankudieruppu History
• Travacore Kingdom
• Kamanayakkanpatti