look | How is St. Antony’s Church festival celebrated in Katchatheevu?
Katchatheevu is an island in the Palk Strait that connects India and Sri Lanka. The island, which belongs to Sri Lanka, is spread over 285.20 acres and is located about 14 nautical miles from Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu.
Every year, a church festival is held here during February or March and attracts thousands of pilgrims. It mainly consists of fishermen from both India and Sri Lanka, who are praying for happiness and good health. But this indescribable island has long been the subject of debate on both sides.
Why does India want to get back Kachchatheevu?
Kachchatheevu gained prominence in the 1970s. In 1974 and 1976, two agreements were signed between India and Sri Lanka. The then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the then Sri Lankan Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike signed an agreement making Kachatheevu a part of Sri Lanka. Ever since the Katchatheevu demarcation of the maritime boundary, discussions on fishing rights have been important to both India and Sri Lanka.
While Indian politicians want to reclaim the island, Sri Lankan politicians have not taken much interest in talks of handing over the piece of land to India. However, Chief Minister MK Stalin had appealed to PM Narendra Modi during his visit to Chennai last year. Stalin said it was high time to bring back Katchatheevu as it would protect the rights of Indian fishermen.
What is Sri Lanka’s stand on this issue?
Earlier, Indian fishermen freely used the waters for fishing and exchanged pleasantries with their Sri Lankan counterparts and rested on the island. They also used to pray in the church and there was no restriction even after the agreement was signed between the two countries. But the scenario changed after the civil war in Sri Lanka.
Since then, Sri Lanka has stuck to its position that there was no question of handing over the island. It has also established a naval camp at Katchatheevu.
How is St. Antony’s Church Festival celebrated?
In this background, the importance of this festival increases further. On the way to the church, the pilgrims stop four times for verification by the Indian and Sri Lankan navies. The journey to the island takes about two and a half hours. After another round of verification and after walking for about 15 minutes, the pilgrims reach St. Antony’s Church.
This year, the event began with flag hoisting on March 3 at 4 pm. This was followed by a ‘Way of the Cross’ procession and a car procession where the statue of St Antony was carried around the church. Prayers were offered in Tamil and it continued throughout the night with people reading verses from the Bible.
Prayers are generally conducted for the well being of the people of both the sides and especially for the fishermen. However, this time special prayers were offered for Sri Lanka as it is recovering from an economic crisis. It is believed among fishermen that St. Antony gives hope, and this attracts people of all faiths to the island.
In the temple, petitions by pilgrims are read by church officials. Most of the petitions are from people wanting to go abroad, hoping to get married, some for better health, a stable economy and livelihood. A short walk from the church is a statue of St. Antony where people light candles.
Reporting: B. Tilak Chander
Photos and video: L. balachander
Voiceover & Production: Abhinay Sriram