"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Genesis 1:1, The Holy Bible - King James Version.

Christianity in India - AD 52 to Present

Christianity in India dates back to AD 52, when Saint Thomas / (the Apostle of Jesus Christ) is believed to have arrived in India at the ancient port of Muziris (near the town of Kodungalloor in the state of Kerala) to spread the word of our Lord Jesus Christ. His missionary work in India gained momentum when he reached the village of Palayur (near the town of Guruvayur in the state of Kerala), where he evangelized several prominent (supposedly, Hindu Brahman) families, ordained their heads as priests and established the Palayur Church (one among the so-called Seven-and-a-Half Churches / , believed to have been established by Saint Thomas in the state of Kerala). The early Christians of India, who were evangelized by Saint Thomas, were known as Malankara Nazarenes / - the followers of Nazarene (a name applied to our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Bible) from the region of Malankara (a name applied to south-western India, with specific reference to the the island of Maliankara (near the ancient port of Muziris) where Saint Thomas is believed to have begun his missionary work in India).

In AD 72, when Saint Thomas was martyred in the town of Mylapore (near the metropolitan city of Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu), the newly-evangelized Nazarenes of India were left shepherd-less. In the following years, due to the lack of leadership and unity, the churches in India (collectively referred to, in the early years of Christianity in India, as the Malankara Church / ) became largely disorganized and Christianity came to the brim of extinction in India. This weakening period in the history of Christianity in India lasted until the arrival of Syriac Christians / , in AD 345, from the ancient town of Edessa (under the leadership of Thomas of Cana / and accompanied by Mor Joseph of Uraha / ). Subsequently, the churches in India got organized under the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch and all the East (one of the most ancient churches in Christendom), with the Patriarch of Antioch as its spiritual head. Under the divine care of the Holy See of Antioch, the churches in India began to prosper and Christianity in India got a new life. The churches in India have since gone through several transformations, divisions, and re-organizations.

Presently, one of the only churches in India (and the only fraction of the ancient Malankara Church) that continues to be under the Holy See of Antioch is the Jacobite Church / (presumably named after Mor Jacob Baradaeus / , the famous Bishop of Edessa, whose efforts were instrumental in the rise of the Syriac Orthodox Church to its current preeminence). As an ancient orthodox church in India, the faith of the Jacobite Church is in strict accordance with the Nicene Creed (the most widely accepted ancient creed of Christian faith) [+], while its traditions are a quintessential mix of Malankara Nazarene and Syriac Christian traditions. The population of Jacobite Christians / , predominantly residing in the state of Kerala in India, is estimated to be over a million.

Traditional beliefs of Malankara Nazarenes and Syriac Christians.
Cheriyan, C. V. (1973). A history of Christianity in Kerala: From the Mission of St. Thomas to the arrival of Vasco Da Gama, AD 52 - 1498. Kerala Historical Society, India.
Elliott, J. K. (Ed.). (1993). The Acts of Thomas. The Apocryphal New Testament: A Collection of Apocryphal Christian Literature in an English Translation based on M. R. James. Oxford University Press, UK.
Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com.

Palampadom / - An Ancient Christian Family

Legend has it that our founder, Mr. Thomas / . -, who was an early Christian settler in the village of Velloor (near the town of Kottayam in the state of Kerala), derived our family name Palampadom / from Pala Madom / - Pala / signifying the historic village where our ancestral family was evangelized and Madom / referring to the characteristic dwelling place of Hindu Brahmans.

The Palampadom family, which had its humble beginnings in the village of Velloor, has prospered over time into one of the most prominent Jacobite Christian families from India, with members across the world. The members of the Palampadom family are known for the strong leadership and support they have offered, generation after generation, to the 'Malayalee' Jacobite Christian community (our founder Mr. Thomas, 'Vakil' Mr. P. T. Thomas (Gen. II), 'Rajasree' Dr. P. T. Thomas (Gen. III), 'Chevalier' Mr. Eapen Thomas (Gen. III), Mr. P. A. Punnen (Gen. III) and 'Commander' Mr. P. E. Thomas (Gen. IV) were all distinguished leaders of the Jacobite Christian community).

Ancestral Home / (Velloor, Kerala, India)

Encompassed by a seemingly endless plantation of rubber trees in the village of Velloor (near the town of Kottayam in the state of Kerala), stands the centuries-old ancestral home of the Palampadom family. This was the home of our founder Mr. Thomas - this is where it all started, this was our foundation, and it remains our inspiration.