St. Teresa’s Shrine, Mahe is one of the most visited shrines in India.The Shrine is located in Mahe, in the State and Union Territory of Puducherry which shares its boundaries with the State of Kerala.
According to a record which was discovered in the Carmelite Archives at Rome titled “De Missione Mahinensi in Malabaribus Commentarius” by Reverend Father Ignatius A.S Hippolytes O.C.D (dated 2 July 1757) the Shrine at Mahe was erected in 1736. According to the same document an Italian Reverend Father Dominic of St. John of the Cross came to Mahe and established the Mahe Mission in 1723 during the reign of King Bayanor, the Raja of Kadathanad near Vatakara. A small community of Christians gradually grew up at this place and in December 1736 the shrine was dedicated to this reformer Reverend Father Dominic of St. John of the Cross according to the solemn ritual of the Roman Catholic Church. Before becoming an established place of worship in 1736 the Shrine was constructed with thatches which were later modified several times
The feast of the Shrine is one of the important events of the place and it starts in the second week (5th) to fourth week (22nd) of every October with 14th and 15th being the main days of the feast. It is considered a festival of Mahe in which people from all over Kerala and from neighboring districts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu take part irrespective of religion and caste
