| Church of Our Lady of Snow Kallikulam | |
| Location: | Kallikulam, Tamil Nadu |
| Country: | India |
| Coordinates: | 8.3524°N 7.6635°W |
| Denomination: | Roman Catholic |
| Website: | http://athisayapanimatha.com/ http://www.panimatha.com |
| Dedication: | St. Mary |
| Functional Status: | Active |
| Style: | Gothic |
The Church of Our Lady of Snow is a Roman Catholic Marian church in Kallikulam, Tirunelveli district,[Tuticorin diocese], Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the Catholic pilgrimage centres in India dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In Tamil 'Pani' means 'Snow' and 'Matha' means 'Mother'.[1] [2] [3]
People inhabited Kallikulam as early as 1700 AD. In 1770 AD, a thatched church was built in the name of Holy Mary by village people. In 1884, Kallikulam villagers and Jesuit Missionaries decided to build a new church at Kallikulam for Mother Mary. In 1886, a church was constructed in that place and consecrated to Our Lady of Snow. Every year, the annual feast of Our Lady of Snow is celebrated from 27 July to 5 August.[4]
An oral tradition in Tamil Nadu states that on 29 March 1939 around 6.30 pm, six young people claim that they saw the Mother Mary appear on a hill near to the Church.People from different part of India visit Apparition hill on first Saturday of every month.