Velankanni Church - The Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health | Nagapattinam  

Velankanni , is a Special Grade Panchayat Town in Nagapattinam district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It lies on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, 350 km south of Chennai (Madras), 12 km south of Nagapattinam, and 33 km southeast of Thiruvarur.
Once a port that traded with Rome and Greece,the tiny commercial center gradually lost its importance to the larger city of Nagapattinam. The canal built to link this town with Vedaranyam still lies to the west. The Vellayar, a minor branch of the Cauvery River, runs south of the town and discharges into the sea. The town was among the worst hit by the tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.
The town is home to one of the most visited Latin Catholic shrines called the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health.
Velankanni has been chosen as one of the heritage cities for the Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) scheme of the Government of India.
Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health, one of the country's biggest Catholic pilgrimage centres is located here. Devoted to Our Lady of Good Health, it is popularly known as the "Lourdes of the East".Its origins can be traced back to the 16th century. It is built in the Gothic style, was modified by Portuguese and then further expanded later on due to the influx of pilgrims. The church building was raised to the status of basilica in 1962 by Pope John XXIII.
Annually, 20 million pilgrims flock to the shrine from all over India and abroad,out of which an estimated 3 million people visit the shrine during its annual festival from 29 August to 8 September.The 11-day annual festival concludes with the celebration of the Feast of the Nativity of Mary on 8 September.
Vailankanni is well connected by road and rail to the rest of the country. The East Coast Road (ECR) that runs from Chennai to Kanyakumari, connects the town to the rest of the country. The nearest operational airports are Tiruchirappalli International Airport, 165 kilometres (103 mi) away and Chennai International Airport, 300 kilometres (190 mi) away.