Goans flock to Vailankanni

(August 29, 2011) People from all faiths and especially the Christians from Goa, in large numbers, are making their annual trip to the shrine of Our Lady of Health Vailankanni at Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. With the feast of Our Lady falling on September 8, pilgrims in large numbers are flocking to the shrine, known as the Lourdes of the East. “The shrine is four hours by bus from the Tiruchirappali airport. By rail, the nearest railway station is Nagapattinam.With people thronging annually to Vailankanni, a travel agency has started an air-conditioned bus service once a week, priced at Rs 2,900 per seat for the 30-hour journey every Sunday. “The demand is so much that the bus is sold out till September 11,”an agency representative said. Since almost 500 Goans travel daily to Vailankanni during the months of August and September, the Railways on Aug 26 introduced a special Vasco-Margao-Vailankanni Express, which will ply along this route once in every three days.Meanwhile, Goa ministers Aleixo Sequeira and Jose Philip D’Souza have made train arrangements for about 1,700 people to visit the shrine at Vailankanni. Approximately, two lakh pilgrims visit the shrine during the feast.