Pi Patel: Faith is a house with many rooms.
Writer: But no room for doubt?
Pi Patel: Oh, plenty, on every floor. Doubt is useful; it keeps faith a living thing. After all, you cannot know the strength of your faith until it is tested.
– A quote from the movie, Life of Pi (2012)
September 18, 2025, Thursday
Day 9/30 at Trivandrum.
Since I was baptized as a toddler, I never had a say in becoming a Christian. I inherited my parents’ religion by default. Not that I’m complaining. Despite my constant doubts and qualms about religion, I’m glad I have my family and beliefs to anchor my life on. In fact, faith in God and my family’s support were the combined beacon that led me out of many dark tunnel periods of my life, personal and career-wise.
I was only eight when I received my first holy communion. My elder sister and I had to attend daily masses and Bible classes for three months before taking this sacrament. But it was one of the most blissful periods of my life.
I still get a taste of that spiritual bliss whenever I attend Eucharistic adorations after Mass or visit an adoration chapel. My tour of the Vettucaud Church in Trivandrum turned out to be one such instance.
Get, set, go!
After a sumptuous meal of rice, sambar, and fish fry, I left my hostel by 12:30 pm. By 12:45 pm, I hopped on a bus to Chackai and bought a Rs 20 ticket.
On the way, I googled the spots on my day’s itinerary and was bummed to find out that Brahmos Aerospace was not open to the public. It was equally disappointing when the Shankumugham Museum was marked as temporarily closed for repairs.
Striking out two important items from my itinerary left me with just two spots to explore for the day – Vettucaud Church and Shankumugham Beach. I decided to spend quality time at both venues.
Come to me!
From Chackai, I boarded a Veli bus and bought an Rs 18 ticket to Vettucaud Church. By 1:30 pm, I reached the Church premises.
There was a small shrine with a statue of Jesus, dressed up as a king, carrying a cross. Many believers lit candles, deposited money, and offered garlands and decorated umbrellas to the statue.
Near the cross, there was an offering box, carved with one of my favorite lines from the Bible.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” – Mathew 11: 28 – 29
What more could I ask for?
Roar of the sea!
The sun was scorching hot. After praying near the statue for some time, I beheld the majestic church at a distance. My eyes wandered to the premises, but the cool wind and the roar of the sea caught my attention. Even on a hot afternoon, the sea can easily lure me from a devotional place. I’m a big sinner that way.
I stood at the thin line between the wet sand already kissed by the sea waves and the dry sand still yearning. Nope, not going to make it easy for you this time, I remember thinking as I ran as far as possible from the foamy waves.
I smiled like a shy, but clingy, kitten showered with TLC and attention, when the waves came rushing all the way to where I stood and caressed my feet. It felt like a tease, as if the sea was asking: You think you can ignore me, babe? Think again.
A line from the Tamil song The Life of Ram rang in my head: Iru Kaalin Idayile, Urasum Poonaiyaai, Vazhkai Pothum Adada… (Roughly translated as A life that feels like a kitten brushing between two legs is enough for me…)
Despite the heat, I stood there at the beach, my pink church scarf drawn over my head, enjoying the sounds of the sea – the waves lapping, crashing, being unfurled by the wind, and water splashing and foaming.
Beach people
Despite the odd timing, a few foreigners and families strolled on the beach. One lady in a sea-green saree was washing her utensils at the beach, using sand to scrub off the difficult stains.
I particularly liked the sight of a dad sharing a big umbrella with his wife and daughter. He had a grin on his face, as if hinting – “I’m proud of my family and the life we’ve built together.”
Take-offs!
There were a few boats docked near the church steps. Since the Trivandrum airport is nearby, I could see various airplanes taking off and descending in the sky; their vrooms and wrrrrrssss announcing their entries and exits. It was finally time to explore the church.
Vettucaud Church
“The Madre de Deus Church, famously known as Vettucaud Church or Vettucaud Palli, is a historic Roman Catholic pilgrimage center in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, dedicated to Christ the King. It is renowned for the annual ‘Feast of Christ the King.’”
The church’s white cathedral structure, with the occasional domes on its roof, and the intricate wood carvings and stained-glass windows inside, gave it an ethereal feel. But a part of me was sarcastic.
I feel all the newly renovated churches in Kerala are aspiring to be mini Sistine Chapels. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of big-budget church renovations and gold-covered crosses.
As one of Basheer’s characters, Ponkurishu Thoma asks:
“Karthavinu enthina ponkurishu? Athu paavapettavarkku koduthoode?”
(“Why does Jesus need a golden cross? Can’t we give it to the poor?”)
Since photography was restricted on the church premises, I decided to spend more time admiring the church’s interior, praying, and people-watching in silence.
Coins rattled, and folded currency notes slid stealthily into offering boxes. Many devotees brought written requests and petitions and dropped them in the prayer boxes. For a second, I wished I had a piece of paper to jot down my prayers, too.
A rational person would argue how a piece of paper can add or subtract from a conversation with God. After all, God is either a hypothetical concept or an omnipresent being, based on our belief system, and neither version needs a written petition.
But studies show that writing down our goals makes it easier to manifest and increases the probability of achieving them. I guess, to each his own!
I smiled at the grand wooden altar and the even grander ceiling. Various Bible mysteries meditated on during rosaries, and the fourteen stations of the Way of the Cross, were depicted in the paintings.
One of my favorite things about this church is that you can see the sea and the beach through its open windows and doors.
Onto the Museum and the Crypts
By 2:15 PM, I walked out of the church. A man in rugged clothes was eating a packed lunch under the shade of a building. We don’t realize the extent of our privileges until we see a man yearning for the basic things we take for granted every day.
Around the church, I could see the flagstaff or kodimaram, a party hall, Vettucaud Madre Deus Church Amenity Centre, Christ the King book stall, and various cafes, restaurants, and juice stalls.
Though I strolled through the book stall before leaving, I couldn’t find any books specific to the history of Vettucaud Church. There were only the general statues of Jesus, the saints, and the Virgin Mary, and the usual prayer books, rosaries, lockets, etc. That was disappointing.
I learned that the church has two underground chapels: the Christius Rex Crypt Chapel and Corpus Christi Adoration Chapel; not to forget the Vettucaud Museum.
I took off my shoes at the entrance of the crypt and climbed down the stairs. The underground steps gave me the eerie feeling that I was a character inside an Enid Blyton children’s book; maybe because I have always associated the term ‘crypts’ with adventure, horror, or thrill.
In the museum, many liturgical items were displayed, such as a priest’s holy robes, the model of the old Vettucaud church, Bibles, and objects used in church services – chalices, patens, ciborium, monstrance, altar clothes, etc.
The history of Christianity’s spread in Kerala, and its various dioceses, starting from the time of Vasco da Gama, was portrayed. This also mentions Jesus’ apostle, St Thomas’ visit to the church.
There were relics of various saints inside these crypts. I particularly remember seeing Mother Teresa’s.
In my first go, I saw only the Christius Rex Crypt Chapel and came out. It’s the chapel with the crucifixion at the altar. When I mentioned it to the security staff at the entrance, he insisted that I go back inside and visit the second crypt also.
He told me, “A person like you who came all this way to see this church shouldn’t miss that chapel. It’s an adoration chapel for the Eucharist. You should stay there at least for half an hour and pray. You will get so much joy and peace.”
Well, I bet he can sell any place to a tourist. But he was absolutely right. I knelt and prayed in front of the Eucharist for more than an hour. I only came out around 4 PM.
The joy, peace, and serenity I felt inside the crypts were immeasurable. Before entering the crypts, I felt like a lost child panting through a crowded street. After praying for some time, my mind calmed like a fish swimming alone in deep, blue waters.
Since I had a highly religious upbringing as a kid, despite my logical and questioning side, places and moments like this still make me emotional.
You could say, if Pi Patel from the movie Life of Pi told me the two versions of his life story, the one with the tiger Richard Parker, and the one without, I would definitely fall for the former.
Pi Patel: So, which story do you prefer?
Writer: The one with the tiger. That’s the better story.
Pi Patel: Thank you. And so it goes with God.
– A quote from the movie, Life of Pi (2012)
Just like that, I would always fall for the version of this world with a God in it, at least the possibility of it. And given a choice, I will always hope for a miracle.
Lirio's Wanderings 