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Fishermen in the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu belonging to the Paravar community, were among the early converts to Christianity in India, in the mid-16th century, and they became Roman Catholics.
Many districts in Tamil Nadu have a sizeable Christian population: Kanyakumari (48.7 per cent), Tuticorin (20 per cent), and Tirunelveli (13 per cent), among others.
The villages in these coastal districts each have three churches or more and they play a crucial role in binding together the fishing community.
The churches are not merely a place for prayer, but also one where men could relax after a tiring day at sea. Women get together here while their children attend various classes held in it.
Thus, church and prayers remain central to the fisher community even to this day.
In these fishing villages, people attend mass at least twice a week and come in to pray whenever they find time on other days too.
Religious symbols of a localised nature can be found everywhere: arrays of boats painted in stripes of red, yellow and blue, bear the symbol of the cross on their deck; elaborately decorated churches sport a fish symbol along with the cross on the steeple; figurines of Mother Mary in a shining yellow silk sari line the coast.
Many of these towns have grown to become pilgrimage spots, where believers can find a venerable place of worship as well as a soothing beach nearby.
All important events in the life of the fishing folk, be it a wedding, or the blessing of a new boat, happen in the church. It is also a space where the community finds emotional and financial support in the wake of disasters, natural or manmade.
Deepti Asthana is a Mumbai-based photojournalist
Path of enlightenment: These villages are places of pilgrimage, where visitors seek solace in religion as well as a respite at the pristine beaches
Remnants of the past: Christianity was brought to the coastal fishing communitiescenturies ago
Thriving in harmony: Many of the coastal villages in Tamil Nadu have a sizeable Christian population
Under god’s shadow: The churches are places of relaxation for the entire community
Village heirlooms: Each village has three or more churches that are elaborately decorated
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