The Saint Thomas Christians are an ethno-religious group primarily located in the Kerala state of Southwestern India. The group claims to be the direct descendants of converts contacted by Saint Thomas (also called "Doubting Thomas"). According to the Christian gospels, Thomas needed to touch Jesus' crucifixion wounds to believe in his resurrection. The Saint Thomas Christians are considered one of the oldest Christian traditions in the world. Archaeological evidence confirms that the Saint Thomas Christians have been practicing in Kerala since at least the 2nd or 3rd century, and the narrative aspects of the religion have been expanded by oral tradition, music, and literary works, including the “Song of Thomas.”
Historically, Kerala served as a haven for Christian refugees fleeing the Middle East in the 4th, 7th, and 8th centuries, bringing with them Syriac cultural traditions and language. The Saint Thomas Christians traditionally followed the Eastern Church rather than the Roman Catholic tradition. In the 13th century, Portuguese-Catholic missionaries arrived in Kerala and attempted to convert the local Christians to Roman Catholicism, with disastrous results. Labeling the Saint Thomas Christians as heretics, Portuguese missionaries burned churches and libraries, precipitating a religious schism that lasted until the 17th century, leaving fractured denominations in its wake. Throughout the 19th century, various Christian groups, including the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches, vied for influence over the Saint Thomas Christians, with little lasting success. The resulting sects included The Malankara Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church, The Syro-Malabar Church, The Malankara Indian Orthodox Church and the smaller, autonomous Syro-Malankara Church.
In addition to shared religious beliefs, Saint Thomas Christians are defined by shared language and cultural elements, such as speaking the Mayalam language and the annual Maramon Convention, an evangelical gathering organized by the Mar Thoma Evangelistic Association.
