Indian Antiquary Vol 52

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Stephen Meredyth Edwardes, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 120

104
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[ MAY, 1923
India ; and (2) that the writers who have tried to discredit and disprove it have failed to do 8o." As Editor of this Journal I have perforce had to make myself acquainted at times with the story of St. Thomas as regards India, and speaking personally, my impression is that there is nothing against the possibility or even probability of the Apostle's visit to South India, in addition to his attendance at the Court of so great a monarch as Gondophares (Guduphara), must have been in Northern India and Afghanistan in the middle half of the first century of the Christian era. Such a theory involves the supposition, easily defensible, of a journey southward by sea to Muziris (Cranganore), then the most famous port on the Malabar Coast, and onwards either overland vid Argaru (Urgapura = Alavāy - Madura), or by sea to the country of the Aioi (Aay=Pandya), or of the Toringai (=Soringoi
= Chola), where there were then several ports well known to Yavana (Western foreigners) seamen, merchants and traders.
Mr. D'Cruz does not carry his account of the tradition of St. Thomas in India beyond the arrival of the Portuguese, and it will help the further investigation thereof to state here what Duarte Barbosa, who may be regarded as the Father of Portuguese Indian story, has to say on the subject, quoting from the late Mr. Dames' edition of 1921.
In vol. II, p. 88, Barbosa has a note on Chatua, i.e., Chetwai or Chettuvayi, locally the traditional landing place of St. Thomas on the Malabar Coast, and then passes on to Cranganore, at that time (c. 1500-1520) under the ruler of Cochin. Of this place he says (p. 89) :
"In these places [Chatua and Cranganor) dwell many Moore, Christians and Heathen Indians. The Christians follow the doctrines of the Blessed Saint Thomas, and they hold there a Church dedicated to him, and another to Our Lady. They are very devout Christians, lacking nothing but true doctrine whereof I will speak further on, for many of them dwell from here as far as Charamandel, whom the blessed Saint Thomas left established here when he died in these regions." Then on p. 93, in reference to Cochin itself, Barbosa remarks:
“This Kingdom possesses a very large and excellent river (Cochin River, really an outlet of the Cochin lagoon), which here comes forth to the sea by which come in great ships of Moors and Christians, who trade with this Kingdom [meaning, I take it, Muhammadan and European traders)...... At the mouth of the river the King our Lord [of Portugal] possesses a very fine fortress, which is a large settlement of Portuguese and Christians, natives of the land, who became Christians after the establishment of our fortress. And every day also other Christian Indians who have remained from the teaching of the Blessed Saint Thomas come there also from Coilam and other places."
From this it will be seen that the early Portuguese settlers clearly distinguished between their own Christian converts and the Syrian "Christians of St. Thomas."
On pp. 96-97 Barbosa remarks that "Passing this place [Cochin), we come at once to another, the first in this kingdom of Coilam which they call Cale Coilam (Fort (Qil'a) Coilam, and also Caymcolan, .e., Kayankallam). whither come numbers of Moors, Heathens and Christians of the doctrine of the Blessed Saint Thomas and many of them also dwell in the inland country." On this Mr. Dames notes (p. 96) that "it was a centre of the Syrian Christians from an early period, a church having been built there in A.D. 829." He also gives (p. 97) references to Marco Polo, Fr. Jordanus, Marignolli and Hobson-Jobson, which are very useful here.