Lourdu Matha Church, Mariyapuram
Location
- Name / place: Mariyapuram (hamlet / gram panchayat), associated with Ookal village in Geesugonda Mandal, Warangal (Warangal Rural) district, Telangana. PIN: 506330.
Diocese of Warangal
- Establishment: The Diocese of Warangal was established on 22 December 1952, bifurcated from the Diocese of Hyderabad.
- Jurisdiction: Covers the districts of Warangal, Khammam, Karimnagar, and Nalgonda.
- Cathedral: Our Lady of Fatima Cathedral, Fatimanagar, Warangal.
When it was founded / administrative history
- Gram Panchayat formed: Mariyapuram Gram Panchayat was formed in 1995, when it was carved out of the Ookal Gram Panchayat. (I could not find an older “founding year” for the settlement itself — most official references talk about its reorganization as a panchayat in 1995.) Telangana Today
Catholic Reddy Community
- Demographics: The village has a notable presence of Catholic Reddy families, contributing to the community’s cultural and social fabric.
- Church Activities: Active participation in church events and community services, fostering a strong sense of unity and faith among the residents.
Awards & recognitions
- Gram Swaraj Award (selected): Mariyapuram was selected for the Gram Swaraj Award (one of six gram panchayats selected across the country) on the basis of village development, greenery and cleanliness for 2022–23. The selection was reported in Sept 2024. Telangana Today
- Model-village / sanitation / green initiatives: Reports note major Haritha Haram plantation drive (about 13,209 saplings planted) and full household sanitary-latrine coverage, soak-pit construction and a local liquor ban — all cited as part of the case for the award. A Swachh Bharat writeup also highlights the Sarpanch’s leadership (Allam Bali Reddy) and village sanitation/solid-waste steps.
Population / households (snapshot)
- News reports list about 248 families in the village in the context of the award article. (Census-style pages for the area also list data for Ookal / Ookal (H), which is the larger gram-panchayat area — e.g., Ookal (H) recorded ~2,330 people and ~665 households in the 2011 census extract pages.) VillageInfo
Churches, schools, and the Catholic community
- Church(es): There is at least one local Catholic church referenced for the area: Lourdu Matha Church / Maria Rani references appear for Mariyapuram / Ookal area (church feast photos and mentions appear in local blogs/social pages).
- School: St. John’s High School, Mariyapuram (grades 1–10) is listed in school directories for Warangal/Geesugonda.
- Catholic Reddys: “Reddy Catholics” are a known local Catholic subgroup in the Telugu-speaking region; there are local social pages/groups referencing Roman-Catholic Reddy families and church events in this area. That indicates a visible Catholic-Reddy presence in and around Mariyapuram/Ookal, but I could not find a published roster or a formal directory listing named families.
Local leadership & notable local actions
- The Sarpanch Allam Bali Reddy is mentioned in a Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) writeup as a proactive leader who donated equipment (tractor/tanker), implemented sanitation rules, and ran COVID response measures — a part of why the village is often cited as a role model locally.
Geography & nearby places
Ookal and Mariyapuram lie about 6–14 km from Geesugonda / Warangal (different pages give distances to different reference points). Nearby villages include Geesugonda, Shayampet, Chintalapalle, Vanjarapalli, Vanchangiri and Gangadevipalli. Geographic coordinates for Ookal are available on mapping pages.
