Fishermen during a group meeting for the annual pilgrimage to Velankani. These churches are not only a place to pray for the fishermen but also a community center where men meet to discuss about their work.

A night view of Manakudi church in Kanya Kumari district. Saint Thomas Christians from Kanyakumari are believed to be the oldest Christian community in the Indian Plains dating almost as per tradition 1900 years back. So while in the rest of Tamil Nadu, Christians are six per cent of the population but in Kanyakumari they constitute 48 per cent of the population.