1. St. Thomas tradition It is believed that the Apostle St. Thomas, one of the 12 disciples of Jesus, landed in Cranganore (now Kodungalloor) on the coast of Malabar in southern India in the year 52 A.D. He preached the Gospel among the Jewish settlers in and around Cochin, and then worked among the Hindus there. He established seven churches: Malankara (Cranganore), Palur (Chavakad), Parur, Gokamangalam, Niranam, Chayal (Nilakal), and Kalyan (Quilon). He died a martyr’s death at the hands of the natives at Mylapore, in what is now the city of Chennai in Tamilnadu. The first Christians were called Nazarenes, or Mar Thoma (Saint Thomas) Christians. 2. Perian contact In 189 A.D. Pantaenus visited the Malabar Church at the request of the Malabar Christians. In 345 A.D. The Catholicos of Jerusalem sent Bishop Joseph of Edessa, some priests, deacons, and about 400 people under the leadership of Thomas of Cana. This was a time of severe persecution of Christians in Persia, from the 4th to 6th century A.D., called the Persian or Babylonian period. 3. 5th and 6th Century Nestorian missionary movements were very active during the 5th and 6th centuries. The Alexandrian merchant Cosmas Indicopleustes visited India in the 6th century and recorded that the he saw Christian communities in Malabar and Ceylon. 4. Malabar Era In 825 A.D. a party of immigrants under the leadership of Marwan Sabriso and two Bishops Mar Sapro and Mar Prodh landed in Malabar. Around that time, the king of the land Cheraman Perumal who was a good king, left his kingdom and went to Arabia where he became a Muslim. Some however, say he became a Christian. The Malabar Era (Kollavarsham) begins with the traditional date of his leaving the kingdom (August 15, 825 A.D.). After Cheraman Perumal left, his kingdom was divided into small … Continue reading Mar Thoma History