Manapad - Of fishing and folklore

I've seen pictures of the bluest of blue seas and sandy beaches when friends visit Krabi or Koh Samui, and I've often wondered when I'd get to see those turquoise waters. Because there's some "pichle janam  ka raaz" and bad karma, perhaps, that has always resulted in the cancelation of my extremely well-planned Thailand trips. Not once, but thrice. And I haven't really had a chance to visit any other beautiful beaches since, so I'd kind of reconciled that maybe it's not just Thailand. Maybe the Gods of the Seas had decided that since this girl refused a thirsty soul water in her last birth, instead of making her a lizard in this one, let's instead decline all requests to visit beautiful water bodies.
But you know what? Looks like they've decided to forgive me for all those sins because of my exceedingly good deeds in this birth. Because when I saw the waters at Manapad, Tamil Nadu, I was rooted to the spot. OK, Thailand enthusiasts, this is by no way an article of comparison or any such thing. I am still praying fervently that I be let to visit Koh Samui. But it's just that this is probably the bluest sea I've seen.

Blue waters - Ah, life is good. 

Until recently, I hadn't even heard about this tiny fishing village, which is home to one of the most famous shrines in this part of the country, The Holy Cross Church.

The Holy Cross Shrine, Manapad

Manapad is at a distance of 60 km from Tuticorin, and takes about two hours, thanks to the dismal condition of the State Highway to Kanyakumari. From Tiruchendur, it's a little over 20 km, and the last stretch of road, just leading to the village is in particularly bad shape. A few kilometers in between are OK to drive, but mostly nothing to write home about.

We go where the road takes us...

We saw him/her on the way, and he/she didn't seem too thrilled to have visitors. 

In 1540, a Portuguese ship is believed to have been caught in a horrible storm, which led to the snapping of its hind mast. The captain of the ship vowed to construct a Cross out of the splintered mast if they escaped alive, and is known to have done just that. A couple of years later, St. Francis Xavier came to Manapad for missionary activity, and built a shrine with the captain's Cross at the altar.
With the completion of the Church in the 1580's, the reverend appealed to have a relic of the True Cross (i.e. the Cross on which Jesus is believed to have been crucified) brought to Manapad, and it did arrive from Rome via Cochin in 1583. Every year, this relic is publicly displayed from September 1st to 14th.

Early evening at Manapad

The boats back after their day out in the sea.

The tiny village that exists today consists mainly of fisherfolk. Owing to its picture perfect beach, Manapad has seen some films shot here. Some time after I visited, I found out that my favorite director Mani Ratnam is shooting parts of his film "Kadal" in Manapad. Hmm... I obviously wish I had a run-in. But well, for now, the gods are appeased enough to stop blocking my entry into beautiful beaches. So Mani Ratnam will have to wait.