Koratty Muthy Church (St. Mary's, Koratty)

The Syro-Malabar forane church of St Mary at Koratty, part of the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese, is the shrine of Korattymuthy, Mother Mary as the Syro-Malabar community of Koratty knows her. Also called Our Lady with the Poovan Banana and the Lourdes of Kerala, it is considered the most important Marian pilgrimage centre in India after Velankanni, and millions of devotees visit each year. Tradition dates the shrine to 1381, though it is documented only from Sakthan Thampuran's reign (1775–1790).

The church's story is bound up with the feudal lords of the region. Christians of Koratty served in the army of the Koratty Kaimal against the more powerful Kodassery Kartha, and when their commander Kavalakkadan Kochu Vareeth was killed, the Thampuratty, queen of the Koratty Swaroopam, led the army herself and won. The annual feast is famous for offerings of poovankula, a special plantain, and for muttilizhayal, devotees moving forward on their knees.