Gunadala Mary Matha Shrine

Gunadala Matha Shrine, which also goes by the names Our Lady of Lourdes and Mary Matha Church, occupies Gunadala, the tallest of the hillocks in Vijayawada. It is regarded as the second biggest site devoted to Mary after Velankanni in Tamil Nadu. Its roots lie in the 1920s, when Fr. Huges Pezzoni gathered 25 acres for Catholic institutions; in 1924 Fr. P. Arlati opened St. Joseph's orphanage and placed a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes in a natural grotto on the hillside. The church was consecrated in 1971.

Pilgrims begin at the church at the foot of the hill, climb past the stations of the Cross to the grotto halfway up, and go on to the 18-foot cross at the top. The feast on 9–11 February draws around 10 lakh devotees from several states, including many of other faiths; some offer their hair or break coconuts, and many bring infants for blessing.