Malankara Church

The Malankara Church, also known as Malankara Syrian Church, was the unified body of Puthankur Saint Thomas Christians who claim origins from the missions of Thomas the Apostle. This oath was taken by a large section of the community in protest against Portuguese ecclesiastical domination under the Padroado system, particularly following the Latinizing measures imposed after the Synod of Diamper. The resistance was directed mainly against foreign control and the suppression of their East Syriac traditions rather than against Catholic doctrine itself.

Under the leadership of Archdeacon Thoma, later known as Thoma I, this group sought to preserve its autonomy and apostolic heritage. The Carmelite missionaries later attempted reconciliation with Rome , resulting in many returning to the Catholic communion. The Puthankur faction eventually established ties with the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch in 1665, adopting the West Syriac liturgical and ecclesiastical tradition. This development shaped what later became known as the Malankara Syrian Church.

Over time, the Malankara Church experienced internal disputes regarding authority, theology, and relations with the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, leading to successive divisions. These divisions eventually gave rise to several present-day churches, including the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church, Malabar Independent Syrian Church, Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, the Saint Thomas Anglicans of the Church of South India and the St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India.