A christian wedding is being held at a small church of Colachel, Tamilnadu. Church plays an important role from fixing the arrange marriages to settling the dowry amount between the family of groom and bride. The people consult church for their day to day issues and counselling related to work and family.
The Paravars were a Tamil fisher caste who inhabited the fishery coast extending from Cape Comorin (old name of Kanya Kumari) to the isle of Mannar (Rameswaram). The Paravars plied the trade of fishing which included pearl fishing, diving for pearls to the bottom of the deep where they could stay for many hours. Now most of the people are involved in fishing while diving for pearl is just a seasonal occupation.
St.Thomas embedded this holy cross made of wood and instructed the people to pray the cross. St.Thomas marked the letters INRI on the top portion of the cross. As per the story engraved on the wall of church, due to a sandstorm the church was covered. Later in 1798 the church was again discovered by a Shepard boy miraculously. The Church is called Manal Matha Shrine or Our Lady of Sand.
