Part Four THE SOUTH INDIAN TRADITIONS ON ST. THOMAS
Chapter 1 The Malabar Mission of St. Thomas the Apostle
We have so far examined the life and mission of St. Thomas the
Apostle from three angles: first from the perspectives of the Word
of God particularly in the Gospels, secondly from the apocalyptic
literature, and more specifically from the Acts of Thomas, and
thirdly from the expressions of the Fathers of the Church as well
as other testimonies of the period subsequent to the Fathers. We
should now enter into an important dimension of our study, namely
the staunch traditions that prevailed in South India which firmly hold
on to the fact of St. Thomas’ mission in Kerala, in the Malabar
coast, and later his mission and martyrdom at Mylapore in the
Coromandel coast.
The State of Kerala, to the south west of India, known as Malabar
till 1956 has the largest Christian population in comparison with the
other states of the sub continent. In fact the Christians of Kerala
alone constitute one-third of the total Christian population of the
country, although the geographical extent of this land is just onehundredth
part of the entire country.
Kerala legitimately prides itself as the cradle of Christianity in India.
And over the years, the Christian influence of Kerala has increased
over leaps and bounds to the extent that the priests and religious of
Kerala have spread all over India as active missionaries.
The main denominations among the Christians of Kerala are (i) the
Catholics, (ii) the Jacobites, who form the Orthodox Syrian Church,
and (iii) their offshoot the Marthomites. There are also small groups
of Protestants forming the Church of South India. The Catholics,
the largest group of Christians, belong to two recognized rites, first
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the Syrian rite Catholics of the Syro-Malabar Church and the Syro-
Malanakra Church; and secondly the universally known Latin rite
Catholics.
The Latin rite Catholics who are a minority in Kerala trace their
origin to the proclamation of the Gospel by the Portuguese
missionaries in the 16th and 17th centuries. But the Syrian rite
Catholics as well as the Christians of the Orthodox Church, pride
themselves in tracing their origin to the Apostle St. Thomas who
according to tradition reached the Malabar coast in 52 A.D. The
Syrian Catholics of Kerala are one of the four oriental Churches,
having in common the East Syrian Liturgical tradition, the others
being those of Edessa, Seleucia-Ctesiphon, and Persia. On account
of this common heritage the Syro-Malabar Church continued its
hierarchical relations with the Chaldean Churches under the
Catholicate of Seleucid-Ctesiphon26. They are called Syrian, not
because they possess any ethnic affinity with the people of Syria,
but only because of the rite which they inherited from the Church
in Syria, just as the Latins inherited their rite from Rome. Possibly
the earlier affinities of the Apostle Thomas with places like Edessa,
and the probability of his bones having been interred there could
have established the links between the Syrian Church and the
Christians of Kerala. This tradition about the bones of Thomas also
arising from the Acts of Thomas as having been transferred to
Edessa from Mylapore has been referred to by many a scholar
some as a reliable one and others as unreliable27. It may be
narrated as follows:
Probably at some date in the second century an Edessene
merchant, with a few companions, brought a case containing some
human remains to Edessa. They affirmed that they were the relics
of the Apostle Thomas, and that he had suffered martyrdom in
India, slain by spear-thrust. They said that they had stolen the relics,
and had brought them from India by sea to Charax Spasini, a port
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at the head of the Persian Gulf. From Charax they had taken them
by road to Nisibis and thence to Edessa.
The Syrian rite Christians are unique in the sense that they find
such a close affinity with the Apostle Thomas that they call
themselves “St. Thomas Christians”. They firmly hold that it was
St. Thomas who first preached Christianity in their territory that is
in the Malabar Coast, and then moved to the Coromandel Coast in
the eastern part. Our study of the apocryphal book the Acts of
Thomas gave us some vague information as to the presence of
Thomas first in the northern areas of India and then moving down
to another kingdom which could possibly be in South India. And the
story of the Acts is corroborated by the following factors:
i. Maritime Activity and Thomas’ Journey
One of the most important arguments for the arrival of Thomas in
the Malabar Coast was the feasibility of such a missionary journey
in the first century. There was an intense maritime activity between
the trade centres in places like Alexandria in Egypt and the Indian
ports in the western coast of India. Great historians of that period
do record such activities of trade. Strabo who wrote around 19
A.D. mentions that nearly 120 ships traveled from the West to India
every year. A certain Hippalus had discovered the effects of the
monsoon winds on the direction of the ships and this seems to have
revolutionized the Roman trade with India in the first century. There
seem to have been two important ports in the western coast of
India one known as Barygaza in Gujarat18, and the other called
Muziris on the Malabar Coast in Kerala. In his Natural History,
Pliny (50-60 AD) refers to ports in Malabar, through which pepper
was exported. Muziris which is the same as Cranganore or
Kodungallur was most famous as a center of trade in pepper vhich
was the chief product of Malabar at that time. A.C.Perumalil
quoting Periplus speaks of Muziris having other wares such as
“great quantities of fine pearls, ivory, silk cloth, spikenard from the
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Ganges, malabathrum from the places in the interior, transparent
stones of all kinds, diamonds and sapphires, and tortoise shell”29
Muziris having been such a popular port in the south western part
of India, travelers to India could easily reach there and from there
proceed to the other parts of India. And the missionary travel of
Thomas to India could have been easily realized in the first century
of the Christian era, considering the facilities of transportation
available at that time. And hence the tradition that Thomas landed
at Muziris to proclaim the Gospel in Malabar. This tradition which
asserts Thomas’ arrival in Muziris and his subsequent activities may
be assessed as follows30:
In the year 52 A.D., the Apostle Thomas arrived in Muziris by sea,
from the island Socotra. He could have traveled from Palestine
through Alexandria, Nubia, Ethiopea and Socotra and reached
Muziris. (Later St. Francis Xavier too preached in Socotra before
he reached India). Thomas preached to the people and made many
converts; he organized seven churches and ordained two
presbyters. He next went to the east coast and preached there with
success, the king as well as considerable numbers of the people
accepting baptism. He had so much success in his work that the
Brahmins of the district were filled with envy and anger; and, in a
sudden riot, one of them pierced him with a lance, and he won a
martyr’s crown. The date of his death is given as 72 A.D. The
maritime factor is an important one in the South Indian mission of
Thomas who could have been quite aware of Apostle Paul who
was making his missionary travels in the Asia Minor and
accomplishing a very successful evangelizing activity. Paul’s
example would have certainly influenced Thomas and the facilities
available in the South Indian ports were certainly seized by the
Apostle to carry out his mission.
ii. Tradition from Ancient Malabar Songs
In any culture the folk tradition has played an important role in
assessing certain historical dimensions of the people. Particularly at
a time when the written word would have been rare, oral traditions
could have developed and conveyed the feelings and sentiments
which were cherished and treasured by the people. The people of
Malabar were no exception to this general rule. They did cultivate
their own songs with regard to their beloved Apostle Thomas and
his mission among them. These songs seem to have been orally
transmitted by them from family to family, and from generation to
generation. The tradition that several Brahmin Nambudiries were
converted to Christian faith by Thomas brings along with it that
these converts did compose their own hymns and incantations to
their Christian deity on the pattern of the Hindu Vedic hymns and
songs. And it is said that when the Portuguese landed in Malabar
in the 16th century they found these very lively indigenous Christian
hymns through which the people had kept their faith. It is through
them that they constantly retold the story of their Apostle Thomas.
We may mention a few such oral compositions which have stayed
alive even till today. Probably the Portuguese put these oral songs
into writing sometime in the 16th century.
a. Margam Kali Pattu
The Margam Kali Pattu (‘margam’ means way or religion i.e
Christianity) is mainly a description of the mission of Thomas under
various aspects almost like the Gospels relating the mission of
Jesus. Margam Kali Pattu can simply mean, a Religious Play Song,
(kali in Malayalam means ‘play’). It describes the work of St.
Thomas in the Kingdoms of Chola and Kerala. Neither its
authorship nor the date of its composition has been definitely
known. It contains 400 lines. It could have been composed by a
priest and orally transmitted to successive generations until it was
committed to writing in 16th century.
b. Ramban Song
This lengthy song could have been composed by a disciple of
St.Thomas, whose name was Malliekal Thoma Ramban. “Ramban”
is supposed to designate a high-grade priest. What was first an oral
version for a long period of time was later transmitted to writing in
modern language by another Ramban of the same name,
supposedly the 48th priest of the family.
The content of the Ramban song is Thomas the Apostle under the
themes of his arrival, his mission and his martyrdom. In the style of
the south Indian poetry, the song begins with an invocation to the
Holy Trinity, Our Lord, and to “the Holy Mother of God whom St.
Thomas taught us to know and to love”. The song contains
description about his apostolate in Malabar and then in the Chola
kingdom on the east coast, where he suffered martyrdom.
There is one very remarkable story narrated in the Ramban Song
about goddess ‘Kali’. There was a shrine of Kali in the vicinity of
Little Mount where St. Thomas was accustomed to go and pray.
The priests of Kali insisted that the white man from Europe should
also worship their deity Kali. But the Apostle refused saying that his
act of worship would only bring disaster to the shrine. The Kali
priest defied him to go ahead and what happened afterwards is
described in the Ramban Song which speaks of the shrine
consumed in fire and the saint dealt with violently.
“Mar Thoma made the sign of the Cross
Towards the esteemed Kali shrine
And fire consumed that shrine
The Embrans, filled with rage,
Tortured St. Thomas in various ways
One most cruel among them thrust his lance long
Deep in the Apostle’s side and fled with the rest.”
There may be a lot of exaggeration in the above description, but the
song captures the possible mood of the local religious leaders to the
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mission of the Apostle. They could have begun a harsh campaign
against him which could have finally led to his death. The Ramban
Song does venture to capture the mood of the time and transmit it
in a popular language.
c. Marriage Songs
In South India, joyful occasions like marriages attract a lot of
friends and relations, and the solemnity of the event is enhanced by
appropriate songs sung by groups of women competing with each
other. We are told that some of the traditional marriage songs in
Malabar contained the theme of St. Thomas the Apostle32. This is
only a proof that St. Thomas was a most loved and respected
personality even in the socio-cultural life of the people of Malabar,
who legitimately took pride in calling themselves St.Thomas
Christians.
d. Veeradian Songs
These are ballads which are lengthy songs of several short verses
repeated with the same melody also sung at marriages and other
festivals33. Veeradians, mostly Hindus were a sort of professionals,
who take up to such singing, and they receive gifts and
remunerations for their performance. Even though they are Hindus,
yet the theme they often take up for their ballads is St. Thomas the
Apostle, his coming to India, his preaching and his death.
iii. The Seven Churches Tradition
The Malabar mission of Thomas has yet another tradition namely
the seven nascent Churches or Christian communities founded by
the Apostle. Factor which adds a lot of credibility. The continued
belief that it was in these seven earliest communities that the first
Kerala Christians had their origin develops their consciousness with
regard to their identity as the St. Thomas Christians. And the
following are considered to be these earliest Churches established
by the Apostle:
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i. Kodungallur
St. Thomas is believed to have landed at Musiri also known as
Cranganore or Kodungallur. It is this port town which became the
real cradle of Christianity in Kerala. There are two important
conversions effected by the Apostle in this town at the initial phase
of his mission34.
He seems to have met a young Brahmin boy of the Maliyakal
family and had a conversation with him about his worship in the
temple. In the course of time Thomas seems to have convinced the
boy about the one God, and the redemption brought about by Jesus
Christ. He was baptized against the wishes of his family. They cast
him away from the house, but he became an ardent disciple of the
Apostle. He was also named Thomas. He became Maliyakal
Thomas Ramban. But it was his another Maliyakal Thomas
Ramban, a grand nephew of the first Maliyakal Thomas who seems
to have composed the Ramban Song. There is also another
tradition about the first mission of Thomas, namely regarding the
conversion of Kerala Perumal with all the members of the royal
family, about four hundred of them. There were also thirty two
Brahmin families among these. The tradition continues to tell us
some plausible details about this initial mission of Thomas. A Hindu
temple and then a Jewish synagogue were converted as Churches
to accommodate the large number of Christian converts who
readily embraced Christianity thanks to the zeal of Apostle Thomas.
Another tradition is that St. Thomas himself built his first church
here.
ii. Kollam
Kollam, later known as Quilon, was also a great seaport, and an
important Hindu Kingdom. With his success at establishing
Christianity at Kodungallur, St. Thomas now moved to Kollam
where there lived a big number of traders and merchants. St.
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Thomas gained several converts here and also built a church for the
benefit of the Christians. The Kollam Christian community has
always claimed an apostolic origin, but the church which the saint
had built had been washed away by the sea.
iii. Chayal
Chayal lying to the east of Kottayam is now a ruined town. It is
believed that there was a road or a trade route from the port of
Purakkadu to Madurai, the capital city of the Pandya king. The
Apostle could have traveled from the port of Purakkadu and
reached Chayal. He preached the Gospel there, and is believed to
have established a Christian community. He had also built a church
at Chayal. But what is left of this place now is only some ruins.
iv. Niranam
Niranam is believed to be the native place of Thomas Maliyakal
Ramban who composed the famous Ramban song. It is an interior
town, not far from the port of Purakkadu, lying to the east in the
Pandya kingdom. Niranam could have been an important town arid
hence it could have attracted the attention of the Apostle to go
there and proclaim the Gospel and put up a church.
v. Kokkamangalam
Kokkamangalam a coastal town to the south of Muziris could have
been easily reached by the Apostle by the sea and hence the
possibility of his apostolate here, and the building of a church. It
was a small place and hence does not find any mention in the
writings of Pliny or Ptolemy who wrote about Muziris. But the
Apostle did not think any place too insignificant for the proclamation
of the Gospel.
There is an interesting tradition about this place. It seems that the
cross which Thomas erected in this place was plucked and cast into
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the sea by his enemies. But it floated and reached a small island
near Pallipuram. On the site where it was washed ashore there
now stands a chapel. And the cross venerated is believed to be the
same one which was made by St. Thomas, floated and came
ashore.
vi. Kottakkavu (Parur)
Kottakkavu also known as Parur on the coast to the south of
Muziris seems to have been an important town in the first century.
Its location on the coast certainly attracted the attention of the
Apostle and he preached the Gospel there and sounded a Christian
community. Subsequently he also built a church there according to
his usual way of doing.
vii. Palayur
This coastal town to the north of Muziris seems to have been an
important center of Thomas’ mission. It is said that there was a big
Jewish settlement in this town which naturally drew the presence
of St.Thomas, himself a Jew. There is a hill here with the name
‘Judakunnu’ (Jewish hill). Thomas would not have gone here
merely for some social purpose but to preach the Gospel among his
own countrymen and women and to found a Christian community.
There has been a tradition about Palayur that St. Thomas had
performed miracles and converted a number of Nambudiris in this
town, even converting a temple into a church. The fanatic
Brahmins who remained opposed to the Apostle seem to have
cursed the place, and hence even today they call it chavakkadu,
the accursed place.
Excavations here have revealed that the present church had been
built over a Hindu temple. Remains of a sacred pond, and broken
images have been unearthed. In the 16th century a new church
was built here around the old, but it seems that the people did not
allow the old church to be demolished before the new one came up.
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The tradition of the seven churches founded by the Apostle Thomas
raises a few questions. ‘Seven’ being a biblical number for
‘completion’, did Thomas consciously go about seeking seven areas
to do his mission and put up churches? Was he thinking of the
seven churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation (Ch 2-3)? It
was probably the later Christian tradition in Malabar which could
have held on to the seven churches tradition in keeping with the
biblical spirit. St. Thomas would have certainly manifested a lot of
zeal in going about the various towns within his reach to proclaim
the Gospel message, and this fact could have been developed as his
founding of seven Churches, which were both the communities of
Christians as well as the places of worship.
We may conclude this part on the mission of the Apostle Thomas
in the Malabar Coast stating that there is another tradition that his
apostolate in Malabar had two phases35. It is said that he landed at
Muziris in 52 A.D., and after converting a number of high caste
Hindu families in Kodungallur, Palayur and Kollam, he traveled to
the Coromandel coast in the eastern side of India, and preached the
Gospel there; he then proceeded to China and did mission work
there. After his return to India, he went over to Malabar for second
time, established more Churches, ordained priests from among the
leading Christian families. Then he once again moved to the
Coromandel Coast where he suffered martyrdom.
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The Church which stands over the cave at Little Mount where St Thomas traditionally
known to have hid himself from his murderers.
