Manapad is a coastal village in south

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

, from

Tuticorin Thoothukudi (formerly Tuticorin) is a port city, a municipal corporation and an industrial city in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The city lies in the Coromandel Coast of Bay of Bengal. Thoothukudi is the capital a ...

and south of

Tiruchendur Tiruchendur is a municipality located in Thoothukudi District, Tamil Nadu, India. It is home to the Arulmigu Subramaniya Swamy Temple, which is one of the Six Abodes of Murugan. Etymology Tiruchendur, a temple town like many towns in the s ...

. St.

Francis Xavier Francis Xavier (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta; Latin: ''Franciscus Xaverius''; Basque: ''Frantzisko Xabierkoa''; French: ''François Xavier''; Spanish: ''Francisco Javier''; Portuguese: ''Francisco Xavier''; 7 April 15063 December ...

came to Manapad in 1542, conducting

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which 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.Tho ...

activity on the Fishery coast. He lived in a grotto

cavern A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

on the seaward face of a

cliff In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of 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. Cliffs are common on ...

and held mass at a chapel of the Captain's Cross, built from a ship's mast after a storm in 1540. Holy Cross Church, built close to the sea in 1581, has a relic fragment believed to be from the

True Cross The True Cross is the cross upon which Jesus was said to have been crucified, particularly as an object of religious veneration. There are no early accounts that the apostles or early Christians preserved the physical cross themselves, althoug ...

of Jerusalem. From 1 to 14 September, every year, the cross is publicly displayed to thousands who attend the festival season. 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 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 ** Port ...

trading

vessel Vessel(s) or The Vessel may refer to: Biology *Blood vessel, a part of the circulatory system and function to transport blood throughout the body *Lymphatic vessel, a thin walled, valved structure that carries lymph *Vessel element, a narrow wat ...

, while sailing around the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is ...

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 ...

, 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 Kulasekharapatnam is a town in the Thoothukudi district (formerly Tuticorin district) of Tamil Nadu, India. Kulasekharapatnam was an ancient port dating to the 1st centuries AD and was contemporaneous to the existence of Kollam, Cheran, and ...

Culture

Festivals

The

festival A festival is an event ordinarily 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, mela, or eid. A festival co ...

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 largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

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

Tamil people The Tamil people, also known as Tamilar ( ta, தமிழர், Tamiḻar, translit-std=ISO, in the singular or ta, தமிழர்கள், Tamiḻarkaḷ, translit-std=ISO, label=none, in the plural), or simply Tamils (), are a Dravi ...

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

Singam II ''Singam II'' is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language action film written and directed by Hari. A sequel to the 2010 film ''Singam'' and the second installment in the ''Singam'' film series, the film stars Suriya, Hansika Motwani, Anushka Shetty, Da ...

'' 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.

Notable people

* S. M. Diaz IPS

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
Thoothukudi Villages in Thoothukudi district