Velankanni (Vēḷāṅkaṇṇi), is a Special Grade Panchayat Town in Nagapattinam district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
The town is home to one of the most visited Latin Catholic shrines called the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health.
[4] Puntius sanctus is a rare species of barb fish found exclusively on a small body of water at Velankanni[6] Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health, one of the country's biggest Catholic pilgrimage centres is located here.
The East Coast Road (ECR) that runs from Chennai to Kanyakumari, connects the town to the rest of the country.
Due to the large number of pilgrims that visit this town, the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC), State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) and several private bus operators ply to cities like Bengaluru, Chennai, Coimbatore, Ernakulam, Muvattupuzha, Madurai, Sengottai, Nagercoil, Salem, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Trivandrum.
The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation runs a daily bus service to Changanassery and Cherthala.
The TNSTC–Kumbakonam division operates intercity buses to Tiruchirappalli, Thanjavur, Pudukkottai, Karaikudi, Tiruvarur, Kumbakonam, Thiruthuraipoondi, Pattukkottai, Pondicherry, Karaikal and Nagapattinam from Velankanni.
Special trains are operated from places like Chennai, Mumbai, Secunderabad, Bangalore, Vasco da Gama, Kollam, Ernakulam, Tirunelveli and Nagercoil during the months of August and September for the annual church feast.