Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Christianity
There are various theories circulating about Christ's link to the subcontinent. Some, for in-
stance, believe that Jesus spent his 'lost years' in India, while others say that Christianity
came to South India with St Thomas the Apostle in AD 52. However, many scholars say
it's more likely Christianity is traced to around the 4th century with a Syrian merchant,
Thomas Cana, who set out for Kerala with around 400 families to establish what later be-
came a branch of the Nestorian church. Today the Christian community is fractured into a
multitude of established churches and new evangelical sects.
The Nestorian church sect survives today; services are in Armenian, and the Patriarch of
Baghdad is the sect's head. Thrissur is the church's centre. Other Eastern Orthodox sects
include the Jacobites and the Syrian Orthodox churches.
Catholicism established a strong presence in South India in the wake of Vasco da Gama's
visit in 1498. Catholic orders that have been active in the region include the Dominicans,
Franciscans and Jesuits. The faith is most noticeable in Goa, not only in the basilicas and
convents of Old Goa, but in the dozens of active whitewashed churches scattered through
towns and villages.
Protestant missionaries are believed to have arrived in South India from around the 18th
century and today most of this minority group belong to the 'Church of South India', which
is comprised of various denominations including Anglican, Methodist and Presbyterian.
Evangelical Christian groups have made inroads both into the other Christian communit-
ies, and lower caste and tribal groups across South India. According to various news re-
ports over the years, some congregations have been regarded as being aggressive in seeking
converts, and in 'retaliation' a number of Christian communities have been targeted by
Hindu nationalist groups.
