According to a long-established tradition, the Apostle Thomas is believed to have brought the faith to India. He is said to have reached the Malabar Coast in 51 AD, landing at the ancient port of Muziris, near Kodungallur in present-day Kerala. After planting and nurturing seven churches, he sailed around to the east coast to die a martyr’s death at Mylapore, Chennai (Madras)1. In the south live the Christians of St. Thomas—the so-called “Syrians” who for more than a thousand years have upheld their descent from the Apostle’s disciples