In this book, the author traces the footsteps of the Apostle, reviewing the unchallengeable evidence of his presence and mission in our land, still vibrant in the living traditions, institutions, feasts, customs and folklore of the Christian community.

In St. Thomas and India, renowned scholars trace the historical, religious, and cultural connections link India's Syrian Christian community with St. Thomas the Apostle. They use modern historiographical methods seek to corroborate the ancient tradition that tells of St. Thomas's missionary journey to India in the middle of the first century, in which he established seven churches in some of the major commercial centers of Malabar. From this first churches, Christianity spread throughout the region. St. Thomas in India also examines the legacy of the ancient Christianity on the Syrian community in India today, as well as exploring the various cultural and religious connections between the Syrian church in Indian and other ancient churches in the east.

• Comprehensive study of the St. Thomas in India myth with reference to Christian iconoclasm in South India from the 7th century till today. • Reviews and related material for this book can be accessed on the Acta Indica website at https://ishwarsharan.com/. • The copyright © of this book belongs to Voice of India, 2/18 Ansari Road, New Delhi 110002. The Creative Commons licence for this book is Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND).

If St. Thomas reached India in 52 AD, where was he preaching in the years prior to ths? Can there be truth to the idea that he traveled to India? This book tries to give comprehensive answers to these questions.

This volume of essays and papers by well-known encyclopaedist, historian, museologist, and anthropologist Prof. George Menachery, investigates various aspects of the heritage of Indian Christians in the light of the latest discoveries and findings in archaeology, epigraphy, demography, and geology. Controversies concerning the sojourn of Apostle Thomas in the north, south-east, and south-west India are discussed giving due weight to the documents that have surfaced representing almost every century, every language, and every church - both occidental and oriental. The spread of the Catholic Church in India, as represented by the major missionary thrust of Francis Xavier and the Jesuits, is subjected to scrutiny. The Protestant pioneers and the evangelical achievements from Tranquebar to the Sepoy Mutiny are dealt with in detail. A distinctive feature of the book is the original facts brought out on Christian art, architecture, customs, and manners both of the Thomas Christians and the Christians of other denominations and areas. The author’s intimate association with Christianity in Kerala, the Konkan, the Deccan, Bengal, and the Tribal belts is reflected in these writings. A trailblazing scholar and reformer, the author’s latest is a stirring nostalgic voyage of discovery. With its engaging style, it assures a riveting read.

Apostolate of St. Thomas in India traces the history of the missionary works of St. Thomas and the origins of Christianity in the subcontinent. It delves into the genesis of the St. Thomas Christians, a community whose various works including their historical documents in Syriac and Malayalam were destroyed by the Portuguese colonizers at the Synod of Diamper (1599) fearing their heretical contents. The chapters here revisit these themes from different perspectives, examining a variety of archaeological and literary sources and using tools of historical research and a multi-disciplinary methodology to question the existing overarching historical narratives about the St. Thomas Christians. This allows readers to retrieve a history that was previously erased as well as understand the alterity of the community's past outside of the convention created by the Euro-centric 'myth of historicity'. The volume is a reservoir for scholars working on the origin of Christianity in South Asia in general and for those looking for a nuanced understanding of the origin of St. Thomas Christians in particular.