There is a Vatican and Moscow in India? Visit Kerala's Puthupally

Moscow and the Vatican are currently the names of locations in the Puthuppally constituency. The only MLA who has been to these two places is late Congress veteran Oommen Chandy.

How far is it from Moscow to the Vatican in kilometres? The locals responded pretty nonchalantly that it was around a kilometre distant after hearing the question. Do you find this news shocking? Wait! There is much more to shock you about. Which MLA travelled to Moscow and the Vatican the most without a passport or visa? This question can only have one answer: the late senior Congress leader Oommen Chandy.

Moscow and the Vatican are currently the names of locations in the Puthuppally constituency in the Kottayam district of Kerala. You can get to the Vatican if you head straight from South Pampady, but it won't be the same Vatican with the Pope or the Basilica. After travelling another 1.5 kilometres from the Vatican, you will arrive in Moscow Market, a picturesque village sans Lenin or Red Square. These names are incredibly beloved by the locals. Locals proudly ask who else may claim to have never visited Moscow without a passport and visa or to be able to visit the Vatican and have some tea. 

How did the Vatican and Moscow come to be at Puthuppally? In the early 1950s, there was an election going on when the priest of Mar Aprem Syrian Orthodox Church in Thottackad came to what is now Moscow. The priest inquired if this was Moscow after observing the area's abundance of red flags. The priest of the Aprem church declared that this was also the Vatican when he saw the area with several Catholics at the time. This is how the international influence on local villages came into being.