Indian Orthodox Church

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Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church

Founder	St. Thomas the Apostle
Independence	Apostolic Era
Recognition	Oriental Orthodox
Primate	His Holiness Mar Baselios Mar Thoma Didymos I
Headquarters	Kottayam, Kerala
Territory	India
Possessions	United Arab Emirates, United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, South Africa, Kuwait, Malaysia, New Zealand, Germany, Switzerland, Oman and Australia,
Language	Malayalam, English, Hindi
Adherents	2,500,000 Worldwide^[1]
Website	Indian Orthodox Church

The Indian Orthodox Church (also known as the Malankara Orthodox Church, Orthodox Church of the East, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, Orthodox Syrian Church of the East) is a prominent member of the Oriental Orthodox Church family in Christianity, traditionally held to be founded by St. Thomas, the Disciple of Christ in A.D. 52.

1 Hierarchy, distribution and doctrine
2 Ecumenical relations
3 History
4 Important pilgrim centers
5 Saints
6 Past Catholicos
7 Dioceses and churches
8 Other Churches
9 External links
10 references

The spiritual supreme head of the Indian Orthodox church is the Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan, whose seat is at Kottayam, Kerala, India. The Church has dioceses and churches in most parts of India as well as in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Western Europe, Persian Gulf nations, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. The official title of the head of the Church is the "Catholicos of the East on the Apostolic Throne of St. Thomas and the Malankara Metropolitan". The present Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan is H.H. Mar Baselios Mar Thoma Didymos I, who was enthroned on October 31, 2005, at Parumala Church by the Holy Synod amidst the Holy Eucharist.

The Church, though modern in its vision and outlook, keeps the traditional oriental Orthodox faith and liturgy. It accepts the first three Ecumenical Synods. The Church has suffered considerable persecution from Western European colonial forces after Vasco da Gama set foot on Kerala soil on A.D. 1498. The liturgy now in use is the translation of the liturgy adopted from the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antiochian since their relationship started in 17th century. It had earlier relationship with the Churches of Edessa, Tigris and Selucia and these Churches sent bishops to look after the spiritual needs of Malankara church. Today the Church uses liturgy in Syriac, Malayalam, Hindi, and English.

The sub culture of Indian Orthodox community is a part of vast Indian culture, which is formulated by the continuous interaction of Christian faith and South Indian civilization in the last 20 centuries which bear remarkable difference from western Christian culture.

The Church has a Theological Seminary at Kottayam, Kerala, which was established in 1815 after the conquest of the Kingdom of Kochi and the destruction of the center of Christian learning from earlier centuries at Angamaly by Sultan Tipu. Another seminary is situated at Nagpur, Maharashtra. The latter was established fairly recently in the latter part of the 20th century.

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Indian Orthodox Church takes an active role in various ecumenical activities at national and international levels. It is a member of the World Council of Churches. Famous theologians such as Paulos Mar Gregorios, Mar Geevarghese Osthathios, Rev. Fr. V.C. Samuel, and Rev. Dr. K.M. George, who contributed to the negotiations between the Oriental and Byzantine churches, belong to this church. The Indian Orthodox Church also participated in the Ecumenical Council of Oriental Orthodox Churches held in Addis Ababa, in AD 1965.

During the later Old Testament times th Malabar Coast had trade relations with West Asia. These trade routes later enabled Christianity to reach Kerala, a state on the south western coast of India. Tradition states that the Apostle Thomas preached the Gospel to the locals (which included Jewish settlers in Kerala), baptized many, and founded seven churches. The churches are Niranam, Palayoor, Nilackal, Kottakavu, Kothamangalam, Kollam and Maliyankara. These churches remain the major Christian centers in Kerala. The Christians of this ancient tradition were and are known as either Nasranis or Syrian Christians.

The Christian Community of Kerala (India) traces back its origin to the advent of St. Thomas, the Apostle to India, who reached the Cragnanore Port in AD 52 and its subsequent spiritual stabilization and growth.

It is believed that the Apostle started his gospel mission in India, from a small town called "Maliyankara" on the sea coast of 'Paravur' Taluk in Kerala, at a short distance away from Cranganore Port. From such small beginnings, the Christian Community of Kerala grew to its present stature against heavy odds aided, among other providential factors, by the continued tolerance and hospitality of many a neighborhood, the goodwill of the local rulers, chieftains and others.

The Portuguese who colonized India in AD 1498 tried to convert the St. Thomas Christians to western Catholicism. By AD 1599 Goan Arch Bishop Menezes succeeded in forcibly converting some to the Catholic Church. But in AD 1653, a section of St. Thomas Christians revolted and resolved against accepting foreign authority known in church history as 'Koonan Kurishu Oath or Coonen_Cross_Oath'. The people that sought to preserve the Church's freedom appealed to several Eastern Christian Centres for help in restoring its Episcopal succession. The Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch responded and Mar Gregorios Abdul Jaleel, the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, came to India in AD 1665. The Archdeacon who had been declared in the meantime to be Metropolitan Mar Thoma by the laying on of hands by twelve Presbyters was now confirmed by him in his Episcopal rank, and both of them worked together to organize the church on firm footing. Mar Thoma I was followed in succession by a series of Prelates with the same name till AD 1816 when the last of them namely Mar Thoma IX came to the scene, but was soon replaced by Mar Dionysius II.

The London Missionary Service was active in India. Bishop Norton inaugurated the first Anglican Church in Kerala at Thalavady in the house of one Itty Matthan Panickar who was till then a Syrian Orthodox Christian. This church was later known as Christian Missionary Service and after Indian Independence it became the Church of South India. Lore says that Bishop Norton was tutored in Malayalam by Itty Matthan Panickar. Later the same person tutored Bishop Benjamin Bailey in Sanskrit & Malayalam, and was presented the chair on which the Bishop sat as a gift. Later in the 19th century, exposure to the doctrines of the Church of England inspired a reform movement led by Abraham Malpan. This led to the formation of the Mar Thoma Church.

In 1912, the Catholicate of the East was revived in India with the co-operation of Mar Ignatios Abdel Messiah, senior canonical Patriarch of Antioch and the Bishops of the Church. The ceremony was held at St. Mary's Church, Niranam on 15 September 1912.

Despite several schisms, the Indian Orthodox Church remains a stronghold of Oriental Orthodoxy in the The Subcontinent.