TIRUCHY: Amid stories of communal hatred, one can also see places of worship where people belonging to various religions congregate. The Vellaimariyal Church in Illupur, which celebrated its 327th year in 2022, is one such shrine where Hindus and Muslims visit in large numbers.
Father Arockia Raj P, Parish priest, says "The church has been built as a tribute to a British woman called Mary or 'Vellai Mary', who came here in the 17th century and helped the poor by providing them education and healthcare. One night, while she was returning home, some men riding horses attempted to rape her.
Scared, she hid behind a small structure, but the men attacked her with their swords, and killed her."
Folklore says Mary appeared in the dreams of villagers, told them of her death and asked them to bury her there. People later put up her statue and started worshipping Mary as she fulfilled all their wishes.
With the 40-day Lent under way, the church has been receiving thousands of visitors every Sunday. During the fifth and sixth Sunday, which fell on April 3 and 10, people belonging to other religions arrived in large numbers and also arranged for 'annadanam' to all devotees.
"Christians stay away from non-vegetarian food during Lent and don't have celebrations. People belonging to other religions come here and pray to Mary, who was killed on the fifth Sunday. People sacrifice goats, cook them and serve it to the poor," says Fr Arockia Raj.
Muthu, one of the visitors, said his wish of having a child was fulfilled after offering prayers at the shrine. Another local, Kumar, said people belonging to other religions sacrifice chicken and goats as a thanksgiving to Mary and offer the food to the poor.
The practice of distributing food to the needy has been going on for five decades, locals add. On April 10, seven families provided food to visitors. Fr Arockia Raj says about 12,000 to 15,000 people visited the church on these two Sundays from various places like Tiruchy, Kumbakonam, Thanjavur, Dindigul,
Karur, Madurai and Sivagangai. The church has about 2,500 to 3,000 members.