Bharananganam, is a Christian

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

centre in

South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

on the banks of the Meenachil River, away from Pala and from Plassanal, in

Kottayam district Kottayam () is one of List of districts of Kerala, 14 districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. Kottayam district comprises six municipal towns: Kottayam, Changanassery, Pala, Kerala, Pala, Erattupetta, Ettu ...

in the

Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, for a total of 36 subnational entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into 800 districts and smaller administrative divisions by the respe ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

. Agriculture is the main occupation of the people, who cultivate cash crops like

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Types of polyisoprene ...

History

The place was believed to be an independent territory under Travancore Kingdom immediately governed by vassal Kingdom of Poonjar. It is believed that the place had the Church of Veluthachan who is believed to be a legendary person. The church was later burnt in the 11th century and a new church was built on the opposite bank of the river

Meenachil Meenachil is the north-eastern region of Kottayam district in Kerala, south India. The name originates from Meenakshi, the Hindu Goddess. Pala is the main city in Meenachil. The arterial river of the district is also named Meenachil. Geogra ...

, which lead to the current church also to be named ' Anakallitt palli as an elephant laid its location due to confusion about construction of the church on the north or south bank of river

. It is also believed to be the birthplace of Kulapurath Bhima a Brahmin born in Kulapurath family of Bharananganam, who is a legendary figure who built a fort in Poonjar. sh

Demographics

The population of Bharananganam comprises Catholic Syrian Christians and Nair's and Eshava's.Now Increasing Number Of Migrant labours From Nepal&Other North Indian States

Saint Alphonsa's tomb

The thousand-year-old St Mary's Syro-Malabar Catholic Church is a pilgrimage centers of the

St Thomas Christians The Saint Thomas Christians, also called Syrian Christians of India, ''Marthoma Suriyani Nasrani'', ''Malankara Nasrani'', or ''Nasrani Mappila'', are an ethno-religious community of Indian Christians in the state of Kerala ( Malabar region) ...

. St Alphonsa was the first woman from the Kerala Church to be canonized (declared a saint), and the second Indian after

Gonsalo Garcia Gonsalo Garcia, O.F.M. (; 1556 – 5 February 1597) was a lay brother of the Franciscans from Portuguese Bombay and Bassein in early modern India. He died at the hands of the 16th-century Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan and was canonised along w ...

, a

Luso-Indian Luso-Indians, or Portuguese-Indians, are people who have mixed Indian and Portuguese ancestry; the term also refers to people of Portuguese descent born or living or originating in former Portuguese Indian colonies, the most important of whic ...

born in

Portuguese Bombay and Bassein Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

. Alphonsa was

beatified Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the ...

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

during his visit to India in 1986. There is a two - floored structure in front of the shrine which was originally the Papal podium for the beatification ceremony on 8 February 1986. She was canonised as Saint Alphonsa by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

at a ceremony at St. Peter's Square, Vatican City on 12 October 2008. There is a museum adjacent to the convent chapel, where her personal belongings are preserved.

Sri Krishna Swamy Temple

This temple managed by N.S.S and admired for its architectural beauty. It is situated in the outskirts of Bharananganam.

References

External links

Bharananganam Temple website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bharananganam Villages in Kottayam district