Maravankudieruppu
Encyclopedia
Maravankudieruppu is a village in the juridiction of Nagercoil
Municipality, located three kilometres (2 miles) south of Nagercoil
, the capital of Kanyakumari district
in the state
of Tamil Nadu
in India
. It is a predominantly a Catholic
village, mostly centered around the church of Our Lady of Snows. The shrine refers to the basilica of Saint Mary Major on the Esquiline Hill
in Rome
, where legend says that snow fell in the summertime. It is bordered on the west by Vattakarai, Pattakasalian Vilai and Kalaisirakkum Kudieruppu to the north, Keela Maravankudieruppu to the east and on the south by a water canal, which flows from Pechiparai Dam.
Diocese, this is an individual parish. There are about 1200 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 whole structure is supported by seven concrete arches, but no pillars. The door frames are made from stone.
The town has a very high literacy rate, above 80%. Many of the people choose the teaching profession. The primary industries are timber trading and processing and cultivating rice, coconuts and bananas.
Legends say, Thiru Swamiadiyan Thirupappu Nadar of Kamanayakkanpatti
(150 miles away), whose ancestors are the 16th century Christian converts during the times of Italian missionary Constanzo Beschi
,conquered this whole village, and settled here and majority of the people of Maravankudieruppu trace their origins to him.
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 Tamil-Kerala taste and some of the commonly made dishes/snacks at home are Puttu (steamed rice cake), appam, dosai (rice pan cake), idi-appam (rice noodles), phazhaya kanji, ulundan kanchi and pappadam. Acchi murukku (Rose Cookies) and mundiri kotthu find prominence during the Christmas season.
Some dishes served are:
, Easter and the ten-day Church festival to Our Lady of Snows in August are the most celebrated holidays and festivals. Community Dining (Asanam) is also an important day in the year, when all the parishioners pool their resources, cook in the church ground and enjoy a common meal.
Nagercoil
Nagercoil is the 12th largest city in the southernmost Indian state of Tamil Nadu and a municipality and administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District...
Municipality, located three kilometres (2 miles) south of Nagercoil
Nagercoil
Nagercoil is the 12th largest city in the southernmost Indian state of Tamil Nadu and a municipality and administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District...
, the capital of Kanyakumari district
Kanyakumari District
Kanyakumari District ) is a district of Tamil Nadu state, India and is the southernmost land area of mainland India.The district is the second most urbanised district in Tamilnadu, next only to Chennai and ahead of Coimbatore. It also has the highest literacy and education levels in the...
in the state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is a predominantly a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
village, mostly centered around the church of Our Lady of Snows. The shrine refers to the basilica of Saint Mary Major on the Esquiline Hill
Esquiline Hill
The Esquiline Hill is one of the celebrated Seven Hills of Rome. Its southern-most cusp is the Oppius .-Etymology:The origin of the name Esquilino is still under much debate. One view is that the Hill was named after the abundance of holm-oaks, exculi, that resided there...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, where legend says that snow fell in the summertime. It is bordered on the west by Vattakarai, Pattakasalian Vilai and Kalaisirakkum Kudieruppu to the north, Keela Maravankudieruppu to the east and on the south by a water canal, which flows from Pechiparai Dam.
Demography and Church
Falling under the Catholic Church's jurisdiction of KottarKottar
Kottar is a locality and a thriving bazaar area of Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu state, India; though a part of Nagercoil today, it is the original town around which the city of Nagercoil, near the southernmost tip of Peninsular India, grew. It was an ancient trade center of both Pandyas and Cheras at...
Diocese, this is an individual parish. There are about 1200 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 whole structure is supported by seven concrete arches, but no pillars. The door frames are made from stone.
The town has a very high literacy rate, above 80%. Many of the people choose the teaching profession. The primary industries are timber trading and processing and cultivating rice, coconuts and bananas.
Legends say, Thiru Swamiadiyan Thirupappu Nadar of Kamanayakkanpatti
Kamanayakkanpatti
Kamanayakkanpatti is a small village in Kovilpatti Taluk in Thoothukudi District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.- Demographics : India census, Kamanayakkanpatti had a population of 2426. Males constitute 50.05% of the population and females 49.05%. Kamanayakkanpatti has an average literacy...
(150 miles away), whose ancestors are the 16th century Christian converts during the times of Italian missionary Constanzo Beschi
Constanzo Beschi
Constanzo Beschi, also known under his Tamil name of Vīramāmunivar or Constantine Joseph Beschi was an Italian Jesuit priest, Missionary in South India, and renowned poet in the Tamil language.-Early years and formation:Born in Castiglione delle Stiviere, Mantova, Italy, a place very close to...
,conquered this whole village, and settled here and majority of the people of Maravankudieruppu trace their origins to him.
Cuisine
The AngelusAngelus
The Angelus is a Christian devotion in memory of the Incarnation. The name Angelus is derived from the opening words: Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariæ The Angelus (Latin for "angel") is a Christian devotion in memory of the Incarnation. The name Angelus is derived from the opening words: Angelus...
bell (Thirikala Mani) rings at noon, and women converge on the fish market. No Sunday lunch is complete without red meat
Red meat
Red meat in traditional culinary terminology is meat which is red when raw and not white when cooked. In the nutritional sciences, red meat includes all mammal meat. Red meat includes the meat of most adult mammals and some fowl ....
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 Tamil-Kerala taste and some of the commonly made dishes/snacks at home are Puttu (steamed rice cake), appam, dosai (rice pan cake), idi-appam (rice noodles), phazhaya kanji, ulundan kanchi and pappadam. Acchi murukku (Rose Cookies) and mundiri kotthu find prominence during the Christmas season.
Some dishes served are:
- Fish curryCurryCurry is a generic description used throughout Western culture to describe a variety of dishes from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Thai or other Southeast Asian cuisines...
Festivals
New Year, ChristmasChristmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, Easter and the ten-day Church festival to Our Lady of Snows in August are the most celebrated holidays and festivals. Community Dining (Asanam) is also an important day in the year, when all the parishioners pool their resources, cook in the church ground and enjoy a common meal.
Social contributions
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 AD)(Centenary Celebration)
- Bishop Arockyasamy Hr. Sec. School,
- Matha Mahal, Mini Mandapam - Community Hall
- Government Co-operative Society - Public Distribution System.
- Vincent De PaulVincent de PaulVincent de Paul was a priest of the Catholic Church who became dedicated to serving the poor. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion. He was canonized in 1737....
Society. - OzanamOzanamOzanam is a surname, and may refer to:* Jacques Ozanam , French mathematician* Blessed Antoine-Frédéric Ozanam , French scholar...
free Clinic run by Vincent De Paul Society - Tailoring and Play school run by St. Annes Convent
- District Head Quarters for Armed Reserve Police