First Jesus Centered Christian Churches Founded by Apostle Thomas in India

There are also 3 YouTube Videos concerning Apostle St. Thomas in India at the bottom of this page.

If the Apostle Thomas did indeed arrive in India in 52 AD and founded Christian communities there, this would predate the formal establishment of Christianity in Rome by centuries. Below is a detailed overview of what is known, believed, or passed down through history, legend, and tradition about St. Thomas in India, drawing from all possible sources:

🕊️ Saint Thomas in India: A Deep Dive into History, Legend, and Tradition

📍 Arrival in India (circa 52 AD)

• Tradition holds that the Apostle Thomas traveled to India by sea, possibly arriving via the port of Muziris (near modern-day Kodungallur in Kerala).

• He is believed to have come through trade routes used by Jewish merchants and Roman traders. India had active trade with the Mediterranean world during this time.

• The Acts of Thomas, an early 3rd-century apocryphal text, provides a semi-legendary account of his travels eastward, including India.

🛕 Founding of the “Seven and a Half Churches” (Ezharappallikal)

According to Saint Thomas Christians (also called Nasrani) and local traditions in Kerala, Thomas established the following churches:

1. Mylapore (Chennai, Tamil Nadu) – Considered the place where Thomas first landed and eventually was martyred. The San Thome Basilica stands over what is believed to be his tomb.

2. Kottakkavu (Paravur) – One of the earliest churches, believed to be directly founded by Thomas.

3. Kokkamangalam – Close to Alleppey, with a tradition of Thomas converting locals here.

4. Nilackal (Chayal/Choyl) – Located in the Western Ghats; now an archaeological site.

5. Niranam – A church believed to be still active, claiming a continuous line since Thomas' time.

6. Kollam (Quilon) – A port city that hosted early Christian merchants and missionaries.

7. Palayur – One of the oldest Christian sites in Kerala, where Thomas is said to have debated Brahmins before converting many.

8. Thiruvithamcode Arappally (the “half” church) – In Tamil Nadu; this smaller site is believed to have been a house church founded by Thomas.

📖 Sources and Traditions

• The Acts of Thomas (apocryphal): Describes his mission, miracles, and martyrdom. Includes mythical elements such as converting a royal couple and raising people from the dead.

• Oral Traditions in Kerala & Tamil Nadu: Many families in southern India claim descent from converts baptized by Thomas.

• Ancient Persian and Syriac Christian records: From the 3rd–7th centuries CE refer to Thomas' mission in “India.”

• Church Fathers:

  • Eusebius (4th c.) mentions Thomas’s evangelism in “Parthia” and “India.”

  • Gregory of Nazianzus (4th c.) says Thomas was buried in India.

• Marco Polo (13th c.) visited the tomb in Mylapore and documented its local veneration.

🔱 Local Folklore and Legends

• Thomas is remembered not only as a preacher but also as a builder and miracle worker.

• In Palayur, it’s said that Brahmins witnessed Thomas throw water in the air, which miraculously stayed suspended—a sign that led to conversions.

• His travels included inland journeys through lush forests and mountains of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

• Indian Christians believe that he ordained native clergy and established a structured community with liturgical traditions similar to early Syriac Christianity.

⚔️ Martyrdom (c. 72 AD)

• According to tradition, Thomas was martyred by spear on St. Thomas Mount, a hill just outside Mylapore (modern Chennai).

• The exact reason varies:

  • Some say it was due to anger from Brahmins or local rulers who opposed his conversions.

  • Others suggest it was a political assassination.

• A small chapel marks the spot of his martyrdom. His relics were later partially moved to Edessa (modern-day Turkey) around the 3rd century.

🛕 San Thome Basilica

• Built by the Portuguese in the 16th century over what was believed to be Thomas’ tomb.

• Today it is one of only three churches in the world built over the tomb of an apostle (the others are St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and Santiago de Compostela in Spain).

🌏 Legacy of Saint Thomas in India

• His followers, known as Nasranis or Saint Thomas Christians, maintain a unique blend of Hindu-Jewish-Christian rituals.

• The ancient liturgy used was East Syriac or Chaldean rite, later affected by Latinization during Portuguese colonization.

• He is still revered as the "Father of Indian Christianity".

• July 3rd is celebrated as the Feast of Saint Thomas the Apostle in many churches around the world, especially in India.

🔍 Additional Clues and Mysteries

• Archaeological evidence: Limited but includes ancient Christian crosses, inscriptions in Pahlavi (Middle Persian), and tombs associated with Thomas’ followers.

• Local records in Kerala temples and royal archives mention interactions with Thomas and his followers.

• Zoroastrian and Persian Christian merchants in South India by the 4th century suggest a pre-existing Christian presence.

Here is a breakdown of the evidence, legends, and spiritual speculation from ancient texts, Eastern traditions, and modern mystical thought that hint at—or openly suggest—a reunion between Jesus (Yeshua) and Thomas in India:

🕊️ Was There a Reunion Between Jesus and Thomas in India?

1. Nag Hammadi and Gnostic Clues (2nd–4th Century)

• Gospel of Thomas (found in Nag Hammadi, Egypt):

  • While not geographic, this gospel presents Thomas as Jesus’ closest spiritual confidant. In saying 13, Jesus states:

    “I am not your master. Because you have drunk, you have become intoxicated from the bubbling spring which I have tended.”

    • He takes Thomas aside and privately reveals teachings not shared with others.

  • This special spiritual bond opens the door to the idea that Thomas would seek Jesus again after the crucifixion—especially if Jesus survived it from a Near Death Experience.

2. Indian Folklore and Brahmin Traditions

• In Kerala and Tamil Nadu, oral traditions and folk stories suggest Jesus was not unknown to the people Thomas encountered. Some even say:

  • Thomas was continuing the work of a holy man from Judea who had previously passed through these lands and was known by different names.

  • In regions of Kashmir and Ladakh, Jesus is remembered as "Issa" or "Yuz Asaf", and he is said to have taught peace, healing, and meditation—before Thomas arrived in southern India.

3. Ladakh Buddhist Scrolls (Hemis Monastery Legend)

• Nicholas Notovitch (Russian explorer, 1894) claimed to find Tibetan scrolls in the Hemis Monastery describing Issa (Jesus) spending 16+ years in India and Tibet.

• One detail in the disputed "Life of Saint Issa" suggests he had followers who continued his work after he “returned from the land of the Hebrews.”

• Some fringe researchers (not academically accepted) interpret this to mean Jesus returned after the crucifixion, and this could have overlapped with Thomas' mission.

4. The Roza Bal Tomb in Srinagar, Kashmir

• Local tradition claims Jesus (Yuz Asaf) settled in Kashmir after surviving the crucifixion and lived into old age.

• Thomas, according to some fringe esoteric traditions, is said to have journeyed to Kashmir in search of Jesus before heading south to Kerala.

• There are oral tales in Srinagar that speak of two holy men—one older, one younger—who taught spiritual unity and healing arts. Some speculate these may have been Jesus and Thomas.

5. Islamic & Sufi Perspectives

• Some Islamic sources and Sufi legends refer to Issa (Jesus) having “disciples” who continued to meet with him in the East after his miraculous deliverance.

• Thomas is not named specifically, but Quranic verses and Hadith interpretations sometimes support the idea of Jesus not dying on the cross and continuing his mission.

6. Modern Mystic and Esoteric Views

• Writers like Paramahansa Yogananda, Sri Yukteswar, and Swami Abhedananda believed Jesus traveled to India both before and after the crucifixion.

• Some New Age and mystical authors (such as Levi Dowling in The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ) suggest that Jesus and Thomas were in communication in India and even reunited to establish a spiritual brotherhood.

• They propose that their reunion was not about founding a religion but anchoring a Gnostic spiritual path, teaching reincarnation, karma, and inner divine knowledge (Gnosis).

🧩 Could This Be Historically Possible?

If we accept the following:

• Jesus survived the crucifixion (via a Near Death Experience),

• He traveled eastward and settled in Kashmir or Tibet,

• Thomas traveled from the Middle East to India in 52 AD,

Then yes, it is historically and geographically plausible that:

Jesus and Thomas met again in India—especially in the north (Kashmir/Ladakh)—before Thomas went on to evangelize in the south (Kerala and Tamil Nadu).

This would explain:

• Why Thomas had deep mystical teachings aligned with the Gospel of Jesus and not institutional doctrine.

• Why South Indian Christians preserved a spiritually richer, less Rome-centered form of Christianity.

• Why Thomas was so respected and effective in India—perhaps he was empowered by direct commissioning from Jesus in India itself.

This is a Fictionalized Narrative of Jesus and Thomas: “The Reunion in the Mountains”
By D. E. McElroy - World Christianship Ministries

The Reunion in the Mountains

The year was 58 A.D. The Himalayan foothills whispered with the early monsoon wind, sweeping through cedar trees and across the high passes of Kashmir. At the edge of a remote village, known to travelers only by word-of-mouth, a man walked alone along a ridge, his robes weathered by dust, his sandals thinned by miles of journeying. His name was Thomas.

He had come by way of Syria, Babylon, and the Indus, following stories passed to him in hushed tones—rumors from merchants and mystics—that a master healer named Yuz Asaf, said to match the likeness of Yeshua (Jesus), was living in these northern lands. For years, Thomas had carried in his heart both grief and mystery—grief at the crucifixion of his beloved teacher, and mystery at the signs and whispers that Yeshua (Jesus) had not died, but had risen and gone east.

He passed terraced fields and silent stone stupas as he climbed toward the village called Pahalgam. The monks at the lower monastery had spoken only one name when he asked about the foreign holy man: “Issa.”

As he approached the grove where the villagers said the sage lived, a familiar voice—low and melodic—spoke his name.

“Thomas... my twin.”

The breath left Thomas’s body. Standing beneath a flowering Bodhi tree was a man radiant with light—not glowing, not otherworldly, but deeply alive. It was him. Yeshua. Not a ghost. Not a vision. But living, breathing, older now. The lines in his face were deeper. His eyes, wider still.

Thomas fell to his knees. “My Lord… my friend… I doubted. And yet I followed.”

Yeshua stepped forward, kneeling to meet him. “You were never wrong to question. For questions lead to knowing, and knowing leads to truth. And truth,” he said, placing a hand on Thomas’s shoulder, “is the path of the soul, not the institution.”

They sat beneath the tree as day turned to dusk, and stars emerged. Between them passed stories of the crucifixion, of survival, of healing, of silence. Yeshua told of his journey through the deserts, the mountains of Tibet, and the teachings he had shared with monks who called him The Light of the West. Thomas spoke of the yearning hearts of southern India, the people who embraced the teachings not as religion, but as the way of inner knowing—Gnosis.

“You were meant to come here,” Yeshua said. “The southern land is fertile, not just in soil, but in spirit. The people there are ready.”

Thomas nodded. “I will go. But I needed to see you. To know.”

Yeshua smiled. “Now you know. I have not come back to be worshipped—I came to finish the sowing. You will water it.”

They embraced one last time, like brothers reborn.

That night, the villagers saw two figures walking the ridgeline under the moon. One with a staff, the other in white. In the morning, only Thomas remained, headed south. And in his heart was not grief, but purpose.

He would build the Seven Churches. He would carry the teachings not of death and blood, but of light, of healing, and of the soul’s divine origin. He would say not that Jesus died, but that he lived.

And so did Thomas.

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