Kochi, Kerala, India (2)

Having done as much as we could in Fort Kochi, we headed across the water by ferry to see what the greater Ernakulam district had to offer.

Though short, the trip wasn’t for the paranoid or the anxious. The cars were slotted in like sardines. Had the ferry gone down, we’d have had to climb out the windows as the doors wouldn’t have opened.

Scooters, motor bikes, tuk-tuks, trucks, cars, and people – all crammed on for the quick journey over to the mainland.

The Vallarpadam Basilica was our first stop. And no, I never get tired of churches when I’m outside Europe, as each one seems to offer something new. This time, it was the curious brooming. Reju George has an interesting account on Facebook:

A great miracle in May 1752, made Vallarpadam a famous pilgrim centre. In Vallarpadam there was a young Nair lady called Palliveetil Meenakshiamma, a member of the noble Palliveetil family. When travelling to Mattancherry along with her son in a traditional boat for the baby’s first meal ceremony , they were caught in a storm and their boat capsized. As they were drowning, Meenakshiamma prayed fervently to Vallarpadathamma and vowed that if they were rescued by Her divine intervention, they would become her ‘Adimas’ (slaves) for life. On the third day after the boat capsized, Our Lady of Ransom appeared in a dream to the parish priest Fr. Miguel Correa, and as per her instructions to him in the dream, the priest asked the fishermen to cast their net in the river, and Meenakshiamma and her son were rescued. Sweeping the church by the devotees is a ritual carried out till today. The legend is so entrenched in the lore that an image of a mother holding a baby was painted in a corner of the original portrait of St. Mary and infant Jesus that adorns the altar of the basilica now.

I grabbed my broom and did the dutiful. Very calming.

Known as the Lourdes of Kerala, it’s now a major pilgrimage site and has the space to accommodate the masses.

Behind it is a smaller, older church, which seemed even holier. I’ve been impressed by how visible Indian Catholics are in their worship. There’s no shortage of prostration and raising of hands, and no one seems to care who is watching. It’s very personal, a communion between them and their God.

On the wall across the road, a young man was busy painting a mural. No fancy paints or palettes – rather a box of bog-standard wall paint and a paintbrush. He held the brush in one hand and an umbrella to shield him from the sun in the other. Perhaps his form of brooming.

Next, we headed to the backwaters of Kadamakkudy, a collection of 14 islands about 15 km from Kochi. It reminded me a lot of the Kis-Balaton, except for the fish weirs and the Chinese nets and the palm trees. Here, you can take a ‘silent’ boat trips out onto the water and get back in touch with the quiet. It is stunningly beautiful, just like our backyard back in the village.

Then it was on to St George Forane Church at Edappally, Asia’s largest shrine to St George, about 5 million people visit it every year.

The church is thought to have been founded in 593 AD. It is regarded as one of the oldest churches in Kerala, after the seven churches founded by Thomas the Apostle in the first century AD.

Back in the day, before the new church was built, anyone, of any religion, passing by the old shrine would lean out their windows to toss money in the box for favours from St George.

The old shrine is still there. But today, there’s also a new church that is massive in size and ambition. Depending on what you read, the original construction cost in the early 2000s was about $8m, with another $6m spent later. It’s a heady mix of styles from the east and west, with lots going on by way of gold leaf trim and massive paintings

It’s a Syro-Malabar church – a new one on me.

The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church is one of the 23 Eastern (Oriental) Catholic Churches in full communion with Rome. It is the largest Eastern Catholic Church after the Ukrainian Church and the largest of the Saint Thomas Christian (Nazrani) denominations with 5 million believers. The Syro-Malabar Church is an Apostolic Church which traces its origin to St. Thomas.

I found it too distracting. Far too distracting. My head was like a periscope, checking out the details. That said, I’d not seen a painting of Jesus washing the apostles’ feet before.

I much preferred the smaller church on the site, behind the shrine. Simpler. More inviting. Less ostentatious, although it still had its share of gold trimming.

Driving around, we saw plenty by way of that fab Indian signage. I particularly like the buses. And the ad boards. And the humour.

It’s a lovely part of the world, with plenty to do and see. Next time, we’ll head slightly further afield up towards Alleppey. And maybe even stay on a houseboat. And definitely take a boat ride into the backwaters to see the villages. But preferably not one where we’re not trapped for six hours with a bunch of other tourists.