Arthunkal is a small seaside village, about 8 kilometre west of Cherthala

Cherthala

Cherthala is a town located in the district of Alappuzha, in the state of Kerala, India. It is located 30 km south of the city of Kochi and 22 km north of Alappuzha town, on the Kochi-Alappuzha streatch of both the National Highway 47 as well as the costal Rail-route.lt is 85 km from the...

 and 22 kilometre north of the sleepy Alappuzha town, in the Alappuzha district

Alappuzha district

Alappuzha is one of the 14 districts in the state of Kerala in India. It was formed as Alleppey District on August 17, 1957. The name of the district was officially changed to Alappuzha in 1990. The district is a widely known tourist destination, and is well known for its coir factories. Most of...

 of Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

 state, South India

South India

South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...

. Primarily a fishing village, this serene neighborhood has witnessed fast development since the late nineties, in sync with Cherthala

Cherthala

Cherthala is a town located in the district of Alappuzha, in the state of Kerala, India. It is located 30 km south of the city of Kochi and 22 km north of Alappuzha town, on the Kochi-Alappuzha streatch of both the National Highway 47 as well as the costal Rail-route.lt is 85 km from the...

, a small satellite town of Kochi, the biggest city in Kerala.

Pilgrimage site

Arthunkal is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Kerala. It is considered as a holy land by hundreds of thousands of devotees, of Christian as well as other faith. The village is synonymous for its church, which has the Roman martyr Saint Sebastian as its patron. The feast of St. Sebastian in Arthunkal is a grand celebration extending for two weeks in January. While the main day of the traditional feast or the perunnal is on January 20, the church authorities have instituted another on January 27, to mark the end of celebrations, locally referred to as Ettamperunnal or 'the 8th day or the feast'. Devotees from all across the state visit the church on the feast days. A procession, carrying the graceful statue of St. Sebastian, from the church to the beach and back, is the most important event of the feast. Interestingly, an eagle is seen roaming the skies, every year during the time of the procession. This eagle too has become part of the grandmother stories, about the presence of St. Sebastian as a guardian saint for the village.

Thanksgiving

Many devotees, who recovered from serious illness or closely escaped accidents, often visit this pilgrim site to offer thanks to St. Sebastian. It is believed that the saint has powers to heal the maimed, crippled and those with mental disorders. Thus many disabled people also visit the shrine. Devotees often express gratitude by crawling on their knees, known as Urulunercha, on the road from the beach to the church, and make offerings - small metal replicas of bows and arrows.

On January 18, as the gates of the church are opened at early hours of dawn, thousands of devotees, including Hindu pilgrims returning from the Sabarimala temple, throng to pay their homage to the saint. The Hindu pilgrims also take bath at a facility attached to the church or at the sea. This custom traces its roots to a mythical story that links the Arthunkal Veluthachan with the Sabarimala Ayyappan

Ayyappan

Ayyappan is a Hindu deity worshiped in a number of shrines across India. Ayyappan is believed to be an incarnation of Dharma Sastha, who is the son of Shiva and Vishnu . The name "Ayyappan" is used as a respectful form of address in the Malayalam language, spoken in the Indian state of Kerala...

. Sabarimala is the second largest pilgrimage site in the world, with 50 million devotees visiting every year.

St. Andrew's Basilica, Arthunkal

The church, officially Arthunkal St. Andrew's Forane Church, was originally built by the Portuguese missionaries in the 16th century. It has a fascinating history. The church was rebuilt in 1584, under the then vicar Fr. Jacoma Fenicio, whom the devotees claim, possessed magical powers to heal the body and mind. Devotees fondly referred to him as Arthunkal Veluthachan, which in English translates to fair skinned father. Fr. Fenicio died in 1632. Eight years after his death, the church was rebuilt again, this time facing the west towards the long white-sand beach on the shores of the Arabian Sea. In 1647, the idol of St. Sebastian, struck with arrows all over his bleeding body (he was executed at the order of the Roman emperor for embracing Christian faith) sculptured in Milan, was brought and placed in the Arthunkal church. Arthunkal St Andrews Forane Church, the first Parish of the Diocese of Alleppey has been elevated to the status of Basilica on 9 July 2010. Arthunkal Basilica will become the first Basilica in the diocese of Alleppey and the 7th Basilica in Kerala. It will become the 3rd Basilica on the Latin Catholic church of Kerala.

Facilities

A large open space between the local school and the church, is the heart of Arthunkal. The school, with buildings sprinkled on both of the road that leads from the church to the beach, has recently added a higher secondary division. The village also has a fairly equipped hospital, a movie theater "Swapna", and a small shopping center near the school comprising about two dozen shops leased by the church to local businessmen. The church owns bulk of the non-resident land-bank in the village. There is another church in the village, which hosts St.George as its patron saint, about half-mile away from the Arthunkal church. The theeradesa highway or the beach highway, still in project stage, is expected to better connect the seaside villages of Alappuzha, including Arthunkal, with suburban Kochi. A fishing harbor is also being built in Arthunkal.