Manapad is a coastal village in south

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, from

Tuticorin Thoothukudi (formerly called Tuticorin) is a port industrial city in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It lies on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. The city is capital and headquarters of the district. ...

and south of

Tiruchendur Tiruchendur (Tamil language, Tamil: ''Tiruccentūr'' �t̪iɾɯtːʃen̪d̪uːr also ''jayantipuram'') is a municipality in Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu, India. It is home to the Arulmigu Subramaniya Swamy Temple, Tiruchendur, Arulmigu ...

. St.

Francis Xavier Francis Xavier, Jesuits, SJ (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta; ; ; ; ; ; 7 April 15063 December 1552), venerated as Saint Francis Xavier, was a Kingdom of Navarre, Navarrese cleric and missionary. He co-founded the Society of Jesus ...

came to Manapad in 1542, conducting

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

activity on the

Pearl Fishery Coast The Pearl Fishery Coast refers to a coastal area of southern India, extending along the Coromandel Coast from Tuticorin to Comorin ruled by Paravars and their rulers. The coast took its name from the presence of pearls along the coast, a ...

. He lived in a grotto

cavern Caves or caverns are natural voids under the Earth's surface. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance underground (such as rock sh ...

on the seaward face of a

cliff In geography and geology, a cliff or rock face is an area of Rock (geology), rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. ...

and held mass at a chapel of the Captain's Cross, built close to the sea from a ship's mast after a storm in 1540. In 1581, the grotto was built into a big Church, when Fr John de Salanova was the Parish Priest of Queen of Heaven Church, Manapad. In 1583, The relic of the

True Cross According to Christian tradition, the True Cross is the real instrument of Jesus' crucifixion, cross on which Jesus of Nazareth was Crucifixion of Jesus, crucified. It is related by numerous historical accounts and Christian mythology, legends ...

, sent by

Pope Gregory XIII Pope Gregory XIII (, , born Ugo Boncompagni; 7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 May 1572 to his death in April 1585. He is best known for commissioning and being the namesake ...

, arrived at Manapad, after a grand tour along the coastal belt with halts in the places of Catholic predominance. Every year, from 1st to 14th of September, the relic of the True Cross is publicly displayed to thousands who attend the festival season.

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...

, in one of his writings mentions Manapad as "Little Jerusalem" (5 April 1889). Valliamman cave is located nearby.

History

Manapad-Manavai-catholic-church-Thoothukudi-district-TamilNadu

Manapad-Manavai-seashore-catholic-church-Thoothukudi-district-TamilNadu

Traditional stories say that in 1540, a Portuguese trading vessel, while sailing around the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( ) is a rocky headland on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A List of common misconceptions#Geography, common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Afri ...

on its way to the East, encountered a violent storm splitting its sails and snapping the hind mast, leaving it at risk of foundering. The captain, who was devoted to the veneration of the

Holy Cross Holy Cross or Saint Cross may refer to: * the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus * Christian cross, a frequently used religious symbol of Christianity * True Cross, supposed remnants of the actual cross upon which Jesus was crucified * Feast o ...

, implored and entrusted the safety of the vessel and that of the crew to Christ. He made a vow that he would construct a cross from a portion of the splintered mast and have it planted on the shore where they alighted in safety. By chance, the vessel, after having drifted for several days, sought haven at the port of

Kulasekharapatnam Kulasekharapattinam, also spelt Kulasekharapatnam is a town in the Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu, India. Historically, it was an important port on the Coromandel Coast, alongside Kaveripumpattinam (Poompuhar) and Arikamedu (near Pondich ...

Culture

Festivals

The

festival A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...

of the ''Exaltation of the Holy Cross'' is celebrated annually by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

on 14 September. It is a Portuguese tradition to lay the cross in the places where they live. This festival has been celebrated for generations over centuries.

Cinema

The movie ''

Neethaane En Ponvasantham ''Neethaane En Ponvasantham'' () is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film co written, co produced and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon, starring Jiiva and Samantha. It was shot and released simultaneously in Telugu as ''Yeto Vellip ...

'' had a climax shootout there and the coverage exposed the place to many

Tamil people The Tamils ( ), also known by their endonym Tamilar, are a Dravidian ethnic group who natively speak the Tamil language and trace their ancestry mainly to the southern part of the Indian subcontinent. The Tamil language is one of the longe ...

. A major part of Maniratnam's '' Kadal'' movie was shot in Manapad. ''

Singam II ''Singam II'' is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by Hari. Produced by Prince Pictures, and distributed by 2D Entertainment, it is a sequel to ''Singam'' (2010) and the second installment in the ''Singam ...

'' has some parts pictured at this church premises. Many short films were shot there. A major part of Seenu Ramaswamy's ''Neerparavi'' was shot in Manapad. A major part of SP Jananathan's ''Iyarakai'' movie was shot in Manapad. Certain portions of Shoojit Sircar's ''Madras Cafe'' were shot in this town. And neer paravai and iyerkai movie

Notable people

* S. M. Diaz IPS * Donatus Victoria

References

{{Reflist, refs= ''Land and people of Indian states and union territories'', Gopal K. Bhargava, S.C. Bhatt, 2006, 575 pages, p.411,
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''Engaging South Asian Religions'', Mathew N. Peter Schmalz, Peter Gottschalk, 2011, 256 pages, p.116, web:
UC
Villages in Thoothukudi district