Where did the apostle Thomas preach?

A:A tradition is that Thomas worked in India. This appears likely to be based on the Acts of Thomas, regarded as a romantic tale of questionable historicity. Whether it contains any residue of historical substance we will never know, but there can be no question as to its great appeal in the imagination of Christian Indians.

Their traditions have indicated that the Apostle Thomas came by sea from Arabia and landed on the Malabar coast. Alternatively, they have shown that he came overland, down from the north. These sources indicate that Thomas, after staying in Malabar, sailed around the Cape of Kanya-Kumari and up the Coromandel Coast; that he stopped at Mylapur (now within the city of Madras, recently renamed Chennai); and that, after going on to China, he returned to Malabar, settled in Tiruvanchikkulam (near Cranganore) and established congregations at Malankara, Chayal, Kokamangalam, Niranam, Paravur (Kottakkayal), Palayur and Quilon. Finally, they indicate that, having trained leaders from high-caste families for each congregation, he departed from Malabar for the last time, leaving behind a strong, self-propagating and self-sustaining community.