A pilgrimage centre with a large number of worshippers, the church houses the tomb of Geevarghese Mar Gregorios of Parumala. The first canonised Christian saint from India, he died on November 2, 1902, at the age of 54. He was declared a saint of the church by the Catholics and Malankara Metropolitan Baselios Geevarghese in 1947. Followers of the saint include both Christians and Hindus.
Obliging Joseph Mar Dionysius, the famous Malankara Metropolitan, who always wanted to establish a seminary in the area, Arikupurathu Mathen Karnavar donated a two-acre plot with a temporary church in 1985. Mar Gregorios renovated the church, dedicated to the apostles Peter and Paul. Award-winning architect Charles Correa designed the new church which can accommodate more than 2000 believers.
