Idaikattur
Idaikattur is a small village panchayat in Sivaganga district, Tamil Nadu, India. It lies about 30 km from Madurai on the Madurai–Rameswaram highway, near the Vaigai River.
As of the 2001 census, Idaikattur had a population of 18,658. Most people work in farming, with paddy as the main crop; sugarcane and groundnut are also grown.
The village is known for two major religious sites. One is a Navagraha temple linked to Siddhar Idaikattur, who is said to have hosted the nine celestial planets during a famine. The other is the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, built in 1894 by French missionary Fr. Ferdinand Celle SJ. This church is a replica of Rheims Cathedral in France and is famous for its angels, its Gothic interior, and its distinctive bricks and tiles. It features stained-glass windows and a grand main altar showing the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit together.
A unique cultural tradition is the Pascaa festival, a two-day Easter drama performed by local villagers known as Annaviyar each year around Good Friday. The drama, depicting the life of Jesus, has been held for over a century and draws thousands of visitors.
Idaikattur is part of the Manamadurai assembly constituency (SC) and the Sivaganga Lok Sabha constituency. The village is reachable along the highway from Madurai, with local signs guiding visitors to the Idaikattur Shrine.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 00:11 (CET).