Basilica of the Divine Motherhood of Our Lady

This Catholic church at Ulhatu, near Ranchi, was declared a minor basilica on 30 November 2004. Its roots go back to a village school opened at Kawali in 1903 and a chapel built there in 1907, which moved to Bhuthataur in 1948. Fr Defrijn began the church and school at Ulhatu in 1952 while living in a hut, and the parish was formally set up in 1953. Pilgrims soon began to come.

At the shrine is a statue of Our Lady of Halle nursing the child Jesus. Local stories link it to Constant Lievens, a missionary who visited Kawali in 1889 and had confirmed his calling at Halle; his remains were brought to Ranchi in 1993, and the shrine was blessed in 1995. The parish runs several convents and schools and serves village chapels in places such as Banpur, Kawali and Plandu.