3 days ago
The quiet, enduring legacy of Ochanthuruth
A short ride over the Goshree bridges lands you in Ochanthuruth. It's the kind of place you drive through without a second glance. But pause, ask a question or two, and suddenly the island starts speaking in folklore, faith, and a dozen conflicting origin stories.
'Maybe it means something holy,' suggests Maria Joseph, 42, who sells tea near the boat jetty. 'There's that old miracle church here… I feel like the name has something to do with that.'
Indeed, at the village's core stands the Kurisingal Church, officially named Cruz Milagres.
In 1573, as a Portuguese ship floundered off the coast during a violent storm, its sailors hurled a wooden cross into the sea, praying for mercy. The sea, the story goes, stilled. The cross washed ashore here. Locals, wary but curious, tapped it with a scythe, only to witness blood spurt from the wood. Where it fell, a church eventually rose. The Kurisingal Church.
