Discovering The Untold Story Of India’s Christian Roots
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — In a country known for its spices, yoga, the Taj Mahal and Hinduism, a movement is taking place to show the world that Christianity came to India as early as the first century CE. Indian Christians believe their history and heritage can be traced back to Saint Thomas the Apostle.
Indian Christian Day honors Apostle Thomas, who Indians of the Christian faith believe arrived in Kerala, India in 52 CE and was martyred in Chennai, India in the year 72. The first Indian Christian Day celebrations began July 3rd, 2021 and has been celebrated in India and around the world every year since then.
Rajiv Pathik, the Senior Pastor of Good Samaritan United Methodist Church in Cupertino, prayed over Indian Christian Day celebrations at Santa Clara First Baptist Church in Silicon Valley. More than 100 Indian Christians representing every region of India gathered together in Santa Clara to worship God and celebrate their faith and their home country of India.
READ: Inside The Rightward Drift Of Kerala’s Syrian Christians
Pathik said more people including the Indian government need to know and recognize the contributions of Christianity to India. He said it is a misconception British and Portuguese missionaries brought Christianity to India. Pathik believes Saint Thomas himself brought the Gospel of Jesus Christ to India.
“One of the misunderstandings that people seem to have is that Christian faith came to India very recently,” said Pathik. “They think it’s a Western religion, and we had nothing to do with it. However, we want to gently remind people that Christian faith in India has been practiced for the last 2,000 years.”
Pathik spoke about God’s inclusivity, inviting all people to put their faith in Jesus. He said he is grateful to be a follower of Christ.
“God, in His wonderful wisdom, sent Thomas to India,” Pathik added. “It’s almost like such a welcome statement in my opinion, to go around and preach the gospel and say, ‘You are welcome.' As an Indian, I am so proud, specifically, recognizing the goodness and grace of God to people in India and all over the world.”
Prof. M. M. Ninan gave a presentation on the history of Christianity and the evidence of Apostle Thomas in India. At 91 years old, Ninan walked onto the stage with the help of his son, Ajit Ninan.
Ninan was born in Kozhencheri, Kerala, India in a Syrian Christian family, which claims descent from one of the four families to whom Apostle Thomas entrusted the Gospel. He belongs to the Malankara Mar Thoma Church, a reformed church holding the theology of the Eastern Churches, which claims a 2000-year-old heritage. Professor Ninan has a Ph.D in Physics in Quantum Mechanics. He believes science provides the evidence for God as Creator of the Universe.
"Although we call him ‘Doubting Thomas’, Thomas was, in fact, a scientist,” Ninan said. "Science is based on evidence. Thomas asked for the evidence and believed what was proved! Thomas was the first Christian and Trinitarian. He is the first disciple after Jesus' Resurrection in the Bible to call Jesus ‘God' and in doing so, made the case for the Trinity.”
Ninan showed proof that Saint Thomas came to India, pointing to the Silk Trading and Sea Spice Trading routes as the likely paths Apostle Thomas took to travel to India. He also talked about the recent historical and significant finding of the four Saint Thomas Parakutty coins or “Rakta Velli" coins and the oral traditional songs of Rambaan Thomas, who was one of the first Indian Brahmin converts to Christianity. Dr. Ninan translated one of the original Rambaan Thomas songs, which told the story of the Apostle Thomas in South India from Malayalam to English.
Adorned in an elegant yellow and green sari with gold embroidery, Kamala Marepalli gave the keynote address at Indian Christian Day Silicon Valley. Marepalli’s message focused on her two passions: her Christian faith and her beloved country of India.
“This year, 2025, we are celebrating the contribution of Christians to literacy, literature, and language development in India,” said Marepalli. “There are so many unsung heroes, all this from the 16th century to the 21st century, so these heroes are to be identified, their contribution, their dedication, and their commitment to spread Christianity.”
Marepalli is the Adjunct Professor in Computer Science and Engineering at William Jessup University in San Jose. She said she is proud to be a Christian and Indian.
He said: “Being an Indian, first of all, I feel like if I'm not the child of God, and that question kills me, ‘Where would I be? What would I be?'‘ I feel like being in India, taking Christianity and standing for Christ, I feel my total life purpose is being served, and I'm privileged to say that I'm a Christian in India.”
The official statement on Indian Christian Day is that it is a People’s Movement to celebrate the person and message of the Lord Jesus Christ in India.
Declaration of July 3, 2021: “This declaration of 3 July 2021 as Indian Christian Day (Yeshu Bhakti Divas) as an annual remembrance, is for followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, of Indian origin, to celebrate the person and message of JESUS CHRIST, which was brought to India in 52 AD by one of His twelve disciples, St. Thomas the Apostle.
This day, historically observed as St. Thomas Day, commemorates the martyrdom of the Apostle in 72 AD near Chennai. In marking it in 2021 and every year henceforth, we as followers of the Lord Jesus, also preserve our identity within the Indian cultural heritage, while uniting with all who wish to celebrate, irrespective of language, custom, creed, region, or religion.
The celebration of Indian Christian Day [Yeshu Bhakti Divas] on 3 July 2021, will launch the Decade of Celebration (2021-2030) to honour the 2000th anniversary of the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ whose teaching and life principles have helped to shape and transform India and the world.”
Mary Lee is a reporter based in the Bay Area. She also does work for CBS News Bay Area, KPIX Digital, CBS News Bay Area streaming platform and KCBS radio.