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In East India, a Marian shrine draws in Christian, Hindu and Muslim pilgrims

July 9, 2026 · 1 min read

BANDEL, India (RNS) — Each week for the last 13 years, 28-year-old Rimpa Chowdhury, who describes herself as a devout Hindu, has visited the Basilica of the Holy Rosary — a historic 16th-century Catholic church on the banks of the Hooghly River in eastern India with a shrine to the Virgin Mary.

For Chowdhury, the Bandel Church, as it is known locally, is more than a place where her prayers have been answered. Its vast riverside grounds, 50 miles north of Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, are where she has found community and peace.

“There’s something about this place,” said Chowdhury, wearing a loose green tunic. “A shrine becomes something else when a woman has power over it.”

Over decades, thousands of pilgrims — the majority of them Muslims and Hindus — have been visiting the basilica for feast days every year, led by what they call the “power of the divine feminine” — their belief in the power of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Against its grand façade, featuring soaring arches and a vaulted-ceiling nave of ancient murals, a statue of Mary, “Our Lady of Happy Voyage,” stands out as the main attraction. Sailors and travelers visit her shrine frequently, praying for…

Source: Religion News Service · Read the full story →

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Sergio Fernández

I am surprised that Rimpa Chowdhury has been going every week from so far for 13 years. Here in the parish we have also seen that the Virgin attracts people of all kinds who seek peace by the river, even if it is just to sit for a while in the atrium. I hope the sanctuary continues to be that meeting place without anyone turning it into something else.

Laura Clark

Our Lady of Happy Voyage certainly draws a crowd. I remember reading once how sailors used to pin little model boats to her shrine before a voyage, and it seems that same sense of protection is what keeps Rimpa Chowdhury coming back every week from 50 miles away. Interesting that so many Hindus and Muslims feel the power of the divine feminine there.

Sophia Turner

That part about Rimpa driving 50 miles every week for 13 years really stuck with me. We have a small Mary statue in our own church garden here in Dallas that a few Hindu neighbors stop by to sit near too, especially when the roses are blooming. Makes you think the motherly pull crosses every line, doesn't it?

Ruth Wilson

That 50-mile weekly drive from Rimpa really got me. I light a candle for safe travels every time I head out hiking the Columbia Gorge with the girls, so I get why sailors and travelers still pin their hopes on Our Lady of Happy Voyage. The “power of the divine feminine” line feels off to me though — it’s simply Mary’s motherly care that draws people, whatever their background.

Михайло Литвин

I loved Rimpa Choudhury's 50-mile weekly ride for 13 years. In our parish, there are also people who are not from our church, they just sit near the icon of the Mother of God and remain silent. It can be seen that maternal power attracts, regardless of faith.

Петър Димитров

Rimpa Chowdhury 13 years time every week for 13 years it's serious. People of other faiths also come to our church, they just sit quietly in front of the icon of the Holy Mother of God and then leave feeling reassured. Apparently motherly power really does attract, regardless of belief.

Сергій Лисенко

Yes, Mykhailo, maternal power really attracts. We also sometimes have women from other villages sitting next to the icon after the service, and they don't say anything. Did you notice that any of them came to work later?

Олександр Коваль

Yes, Sergius, maternal power is still attractive. In our country, after the liturgy, it also happens that women from other villages simply sit near the icon of the Mother of God, remain silent, and then one of them comes to confession. And do you often see that over time they start to stay in the service?

Олег Олійник

Yes, Mykhailo, maternal power definitely works. After vespers, a Muslim woman sometimes comes to us from the neighboring quarter, just stands next to the icon and prays quietly. And what do you think, why exactly the Mother of God, and not, say, some holy man, is so attractive?