KOCHI: While many places are destined to endure for centuries with little or no changes to their toponyms, some are not so fortunate. Varavukad in Kochi is one such locality. It ceased to exist on the map almost half a century ago when the ubiquitous landmarks associated with it were swallowed by the Cochin Shipyard.
Located in Perumanoor nearly midway between Thevara Bridge and Ravipuram, Varavukad was synonymous with the four-century-old Holy Cross Chapel (Varavukatt Kurishupally) built by the Portuguese, and an equally old cemetery. But the two landmarks, along with several houses and shops nearby, had to be sacrificed on the altar of national development in 1972 for India’s first greenfield shipyard.
An adrift cross and Varavukad’s genesis
Like many churches in Kerala, the Varavukad Chapel, too, has a story tracing its origins to an adrift wooden cross that was washed ashore the lake. The arrival (varavu) of the cross on the shore covered with thick undergrowth (kadu) gave birth to the name Varavukad, according to old-timers. Later, a chapel was built and it came under St Peter and St Paul Church in nearby Venduruthy.
“The chapel built in the 1600s and the adjoining cemetery were the most prominent landmarks. From the 18th century, the chapel came under the jurisdiction of Perumanoor St George Church,” says Leonard John C, deputy controller of rationing (Retd) whose family migrated from Varavukad to what is now Panampilly Nagar because of the acquisition.
According to K T Mathew Kizhavana, retired P&A manager of Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) who grew up in Varavukad, the lives of local residents revolved around the chapel.
“Altogether 170 acres were acquired for the project. The chapel stood on the spot where we now have the repair dock and it faced the backwaters. It was known for its beautiful statue of Our Lady of Sorrows depicting the Virgin Mary with seven daggers piercing her heart,” he says.
A great sacrifice for nation
In the early 60s, land acquisition for the shipyard began and the landowning families were the first to leave after accepting compensation, while their tenants tenaciously clung on for years.
“Over the years, they too had to accept the rehabilitation package and move to Girinagar South. Though the local residents, comprising mostly Latin Catholics, left, the chapel and the cemetery remained untouched,” says Mathew.
However, when believers came to know that their beloved chapel and cemetery would be taken over, they were devastated. It was the much-loved and charismatic vicar Monsignor Alexander Vadakkumthala who convinced his flock to consent to the takeover of Varavukad chapel and cemetery for the sake of the nation. It was with the compensation amount that the parish bought a plot near Parambithara Road and built the Ambikapuram Our Lady of Sorrows Church.
A tear-soaked adieu
Old-timers still recall the fateful day — January 16, 1972 — when they gathered on the chapel premises one last time. As the bell tolled in a mournful tone, they tearfully kissed the chapel where they had worshipped for generations.
Many grabbed fistfuls of earth from the cemetery while others carried wooden boxes containing the mortal remains of their loved ones. Silently, they moved in procession through the land that was once theirs to Ambikapuram.
“Earth from the Varavukad cemetery is already shifted to the new cemetery. Perhaps, it was for the first time in the country that an entire cemetery was being shifted for a PSU,” says Mathew.
The iconic statue of the Virgin was also shifted to the new church.
Though Varavukad and its landmarks have faded away, a wayside shrine near the shipyard wall at Ravipuram and the pyrotechnic tribute paid by CSL employees when the procession from Ambikapuram Church passes by during the feast in September are poignant reminders of that great sacrifice.
There & Then
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