This is a multi-part series, through which I intend to share my experiences of visiting some of the lesser known but very unique and important churches in India.

The idea came during one of our SMCB Times meetings when the editors discussed about a unique series which brings forth the rich history of our faith in India.

Though I will not be speaking of any spiritual awakening that I may or may not have received at these churches, I would however like to share the journey and the story behind the said visits.

I grew up in Odisha, India, and not just any part of Odisha, but in one of Hinduism's most revered places - Puri.

The story starts just as any story should - two sweet characters. For me they were the two sisters Marykutty and Lucykutty. Both them are nuns at the Sisters of Charity Congregation and are based out of Kolkata. Marykutty (Sr. Alphonsa) and Lucykutty (Sr. Benigna), are my grandmother’s younger sisters. Being raised in that part of India, they were the closest family we had and they lived as close as an overnight train journey.

So imagine who would be the most excited when I landed my first job. Fresh out of college, my first job took me to Kolkata. My grand-aunties finally had some family who would be close to them, very close to them.

I made it a point to visit them almost every week. It was mostly after the Sunday Mass when I would visit them either for a lunch or a visit to a local shrine. Kolkata had a lot of those. More of those plans in the subsequent stories within the series.

During these visits, they would enquire about everything, now that they had firsthand information from outside the convent walls. During one such conversation the topic invariably landed on my dreams and career aspirations. I always intended to travel the world and visit places.

Now, most of the time, Marykutty aunty would offer her prayerful support, which was good for me, but this time around she came up with an ingenious plan.

“Rexy, I think you should take a trip to the Bandel Basilica”.

I had no idea about this church and its importance. Atleast not until Marykutty aunty mentioned about it.

You see, Kolkata like the other great metropolitan cities in India was built by the Europeans. So it would be surprising if we miss the very fact that there would be some popular Christian places around the city. When we look for destinations in India rich in Christian heritage, we tend not to look beyond Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Goa.

Sr. Alphonsa (Mary Kattakayam) and Sr. Benigna (Lucy Kattakayam)

As with any enterprising human stories, which starts and flourishes around a river, the story of European trading starts around one of the most navigable rivers in India.

The Hooghly river is formed from the confluence of two of the most important river systems of India, The mighty Ganges and the Brahmaputra. A ship sailing from the Bay Of Bengal, can navigate and traverse to some of the most interior parts of India along these rivers.

The early Portuguese traders would establish many ports along the river and one such place where they were permitted to setup a town and erect a church was at Bandel (comes from Bengali word for wharf - “bandhar” ).

So these traders and the Augustinian Friars from Goa, armed with the approval from the then Great Moghul ruler Akbar, erected the “Church of the Holy Rosary” in Bandel, in the year 1599. Right on the banks of the river Hooghly.

The original church was later destroyed and rebuilt 50 yeas later in 1660. Thus establishing one of the oldest Catholic church in eastern India and very much a contemporary of the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa.

The church is the last and quite possibly the only remnant of Portuguese influence in eastern India. It has a statue of Our Lady of Happy Voyage which was first venerated when a Portuguese trader attributed a miraculous rescue his ship and crew from a storm in the Bay Of Bengal.

The Church of the Holy Rosary was raised to a Minor Basilica in 1988 by Pope St. John Paul II. In the year 1999, the Bandel Basilica celebrated its 4^th Centenary.

Though Marykutty aunty mentioned about "Bandel Palli", I didn’t think much of it until one day Vimal and Robin, my close buddies in the Kolkata, planned a trip to the church.

So, we decided to go to Bandel which was about 40 Kms from Kolkata, or an hours ride from Howrah station on a local train. It was an un-eventful ride. We reached the Bandel railway station and then took a cycle rickshaw to the church. Though in its heydays, the town of Bandel would have been pretty well kept and managed, the route from the railway station to the church passed through some narrow alleyways and roads.

The rickshawalla dropped us by the church main gate. The area around the church had all the trappings of a major pilgrim center. Everything from eateries to lodgings to vendors selling candles and local handicrafts. All of these were outside the church’s perimeter walls, so as you entered the main gate there was a cacophony of calls from outside inviting for you to buy from them.

I obliged, by buying a packet of candles from one of the vendors and walked into the church. Even though it was a weekend, there weren’t a lot of pilgrims. The church is built in a typical basilica style, a long central nave and two aisles running by its side. We prayed in the main Sanctuary and walked around the church. That is when we saw some folks walking up a flight of stairs that led to the roof of the church. The roof of the church has a shrine dedicated to the Our Lady of Happy Voyage.

We spent some time in the Shrine of Our Lady of Voyage on the roof and also soaked in the 360 degree view of the Bandel township. With the Hooghly River flowing lazily to the right of the church and a bevy of schools run by missionaries, dotting its left, the church continues to attract pilgrims from all communities.

Only the Pope can declare a church to be a Basilica and there are only 28 of those in India. The Holy Father typically bestows the designation of Basilica to any church if has an architectural beauty, historical significance, liturgical importance or any combination thereof.

The church in Bandel, has both historical and liturgical significance. The stories around the destruction of the Church, its restoration and the discovery of the lost statue of Our Lady, has given credence to the litrugical significance of the church. There are multiple miracles attributed to the Our Lady of happy voyage.

This was definitely not the first of the Basilicas that I visited, but the Bandel Church will have a very special place in my life. My dreams got its wings while praying for the intercession of Our Lady of Voyage. Walking into the sanctuary of the church that day, I felt a sense of calm. After my first visit, I had promised myself to visit the Church with my family and gladly I was able to complete that promise in 2019 during my last trip to India.

On the walled grounds of the Church, lies a ship's broken mast, which is said to have been donated by its grateful Captain. This mast is a reminder of the protection the Our Lady of Voyage and the church offered to the Captain and his sailors when they encountered the squalls of the sea.

Though initially setup as a church for the traders and voyagers, the Bandel Church now has visitors and pilgrims who believe in the power of the holy rosary as well as the faith that your prayers will never go unanswered. This unwavering faith cuts across religious lines.

The Bandel Basilica was built during the heydays of Portugese influence in India. It has not only withstood history, but has also witnessed it, just like the perennially flowing Hooghly besides it.