St. Thomas, the apostle, brought the Word of God to the ancient land of India shortly after Jesus Christ's death and ressurection. It is believed that he landed in the South-Western coastal town of Musiris, which is near Kodungalloor, Kerala, in the year 52 AD. After two decades of evangelisation he was martyred at Chinnamalai, Mylapore, near Chennai, in 72 AD.

Thomas, alias Didymus, according to Biblical experts, was born in Galilee. There is another school of thought which considers him to have been born in Antioch in Syria. The name Thomas is derived from the Aramaic for 'twin.' Didymus is the Greek word for 'twin.' In an ancient Syriac version of the Bible and in the apocry- phal Gospel of Thomas his name is given as Judas Thomas.

Thomas is portrayed in the gospels as a courageous and challenging personality. He had preached the gospel from Ethiopia to China. Many a church in West Asia considers him as the father of its faith.