page_title: History of Thrissur district
section_title: The tradition of Thomas the Apostle
hierarchical_section_title: History of Thrissur district / Chera period / The tradition of Thomas the Apostle
caption_attribution_description: English: Reliquiary of St. Thomas, Kodungallur, Kerala, India
context_page_description: The word Kunnamkulam can be derived from the words kunnu and kulam. There are several small hills in this area interspersed with the numerous ponds of the area. One of the major spots within the town is the Parayil Angadi. The terrain condition and geological aspect of the area has led to the name. Kunnamkulam town has its own remote antiquity as is evident from the history. It was a part of Mahodayapattanam, the capital of Chera Dynasty.
  History tells about the cross installed by Thomas the Apostle, at Chattukulangara. During the invasion of Tippu Sultan the Christians from Chattakulangara migrated to Kunnamkulam town.
  Manakulam, Cheralayam and Kakkaad were the seats of the Nambidis of Manakulam, Ayinikur and Kakkad Karanavappad respectively. They were collectively known as Thalappilli Rajas and belonged to three branches of the same dynasty.
  The history of Kunnamkulam goes back to the Paleolithic age. The Kakkaad cave and Chowannur cave support this fact. It is said that this place was part of ‘MahodayaPattanam’ and was known as ‘Kunnamkulangare’. C.
context_section_description: Traditional belief of Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala is that Thomas the Apostle landed in or around Kodungallur in the middle of the 1st century and founded Seven Churches, or Ezharapallikal: Kodungallur, Niranam, Nilackal (Chayal), Kokkamangalam, Kottakkavu, Palayoor (Chattukulangara) and Thiruvithamcode Arappally  – a "half church". According to one view, a Cochin Jew colony in Malabar Coast (later named Anjuvannam near Kodungallur), probably established before the 6th century BC, attracted the Apostle to this region.
caption: Relic of St. Thomas, kept in the sanatorium of a Syrian Church in Kodungallur
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