Shrine · India

St Thomas International Shrine, Malayattoor

Kurisumudy, Malayattoor, Kerala 683587, India

"St Thomas Shrine, Malayattoor is India's only International Shrine and one of eight such in the world"

Highlights

1One of only eight international shrines in the world, the St Thomas International Shrine, Malayattoor in Kerala is India’s foremost centre of Christian pilgrimage
2Kodungalloor or Crangannore was the town served by the ancient port of Muziris, where St Thomas the Apostle landed in India in 52 AD
3In later years, a shrine was built on the spot where the cross was found
4To this day, pilgrims who visit the shrine carry sesame seeds for the goats, although they are rarely seen today
5Kurisumudi where the mountain-top shrine has been erected forms part of the Malayattoor parish

Getting There

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Address

Malayattoor, Ernakulam District, Kerala 683587, India

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Directions

Malayattoor is 47 km northeast of Kochi. Regular buses from Aluva (KSRTC, 1h). By train: Aluva station is the nearest railhead (47 km). The pilgrimage hill is a 45-minute steep climb on foot from the base. During the major feast, the entire road is closed to vehicles.

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Timings

Current time — India Standard Time (IST)

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When	Hours	Note
Church (base chapel)	6:00 AM - 7:00 PM

daily Hilltop church Open during daylight hours; access by foot only The climb to the hilltop church is approximately 4 km on a concrete path, steep in sections. Pilgrims carry crosses as acts of penance. The Perunnal feast is held on the Sunday before Palm Sunday — the single busiest pilgrimage day, with hundreds of thousands present. Some pilgrims climb barefoot.

Masses & Events

Daily Mass

7:00 AM at the base chapel and hilltop

Regular

Mass schedule Malayattoor Perunnal

Sunday before Palm Sunday

The principal pilgrimage feast — hundreds of thousands of pilgrims

Feast of St Thomas

July 3

Second major feast at the shrine

Must See

The Hilltop Church

Summit of Kurisumalai hill [OUTDOOR] The small church at the summit of the hill marks the site where St Thomas is said to have prayed and inscribed a cross on the rock.

The view from the summit

across the Periyar River valley, the Kerala plains, and the distant Western Ghats

is among the finest in south India. The atmosphere at sunrise on the Perunnal feast morning, with pilgrims crowding the hilltop, is extraordinary.

The Way of the Cross

The 4 km climb [OUTDOOR] The path winds through dense tropical jungle with the Stations of the Cross at intervals. During the Perunnal, the entire path is lined with pilgrims

many barefoot, some carrying crosses — moving slowly upward in the heat of Kerala. This is one of the most physically demanding and spiritually intense pilgrimage climbs in India.

The Rock of St Thomas

Near the hilltop church The rocky outcrop near the summit where St Thomas is said to have stood and prayed is the devotional centre of Malayattoor. A cross is carved into the rock. Pilgrims touch it, kneel beside it, and leave offerings.

The Periyar River View

From the hilltop [OUTDOOR] The Periyar River visible below the hill adds to the sacred geography of the site. Kerala's rivers, forests, and hills constitute a landscape that the St Thomas tradition has sanctified for two millennia. Looking down at the river from where Thomas may have stood is to see Kerala through apostolic eyes.

The Base Chapel and Pilgrimage Complex

At the foot of the hill The large base chapel, pilgrimage halls, and facilities at the foot of the hill accommodate the hundreds of thousands who come at feast time.

The atmosphere during the Perunnal

thousands of families camped overnight, vendors selling religious goods, Masses being celebrated at all hours

is the compressed, living version of the 2,000-year pilgrimage tradition.

Intentions

Carry these intentions into the Basilica with you — pause at each sacred spot and lift them to God.

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For the Thomas Christians of Kerala — for the oldest continuous Christian community in India

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For the apostle Thomas, who doubted and then gave everything

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For those who climb difficult paths barefoot as acts of penance

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For the unity of the many Christian traditions that gather at this hill

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For the Hindu and Muslim pilgrims who also come here — for what they find

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For India and for its extraordinary tradition of religious plurality

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For those who cross rivers and climb hills to reach God

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For the faith of those who have kept this pilgrimage alive for 2,000 years

Reflection

Thomas the apostle touched the wound of the Risen Christ, believed, and was sent to India. He arrived in Kerala in 52 AD and established a Christian community. His community is still here. Millions of their descendants still climb this hill to the spot where he prayed. The apostle who needed physical evidence created one of the world's oldest continuous Christian traditions — in a country most of his fellow apostles never reached.

Suggested Scripture — John 20:29

Then Jesus told him: Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

Read in full on Bible Gateway →

A Pilgrim's Prayer

Thomas, apostle and doubter, who had to touch to believe and then believed completely — let me climb this hill with something of your seriousness. You went further than almost any other apostle. You carried the Gospel to a subcontinent. You climbed hills like this one to pray in solitude. Let me pray here with your intensity, and let whatever I doubt become, at the summit, something I can no longer doubt. Amen.

One of only eight international shrines in the world, the St Thomas International Shrine, Malayattoor, in Kerala is India’s foremost centre of Christian pilgrimage. Located only a few kilometres away from Kodungalloor, it is also the only international shrine in India.

The Landing of St Thomas

Kodungalloor, or Cranganore, was the town served by the ancient port of Muziris, where St Thomas the Apostle landed in India in 52 AD. The port itself does not exist today, as it ceased to function following the cataclysmic floods of 1341, which made the River Periyar alter the geography of the region.

According to local tradition, St Thomas was greeted by a hostile crowd when he reached Malayattoor. He was forced to seek refuge atop a mountain, where he spent several days in prayer. That place is now called Kurisumudi, the pinnacle of the hill where a cross had been planted by St Thomas. In later years, a shrine was built on the spot where the cross was found.

The Legend of the Goats

It was the custom of the locals to place an oil lamp at this spot and keep it burning all the time. A local tradition states that a herd of goats would come running down the hill whenever the wind put out the lamp. The village folk would climb up the hill and light the lamp once again. To this day, pilgrims who visit the shrine carry sesame seeds for the goats, although they are rarely seen today.

The Holy Spring

St Thomas Shrine, Malayattoor, is located 1,269 feet above sea level, with the River Periyar coursing at the base of the mountain. Kurisumudi, where the mountain-top shrine has been erected, forms part of the Malayattoor parish. During those intense moments of prayer, it is said that St Thomas had struck a rock to quench his thirst. Miraculously, a spring of water erupted from the rock and continues to flow to this day. Pilgrims who visit the shrine believe in the miraculous healing power of the water and consider it divine.

In due course, St Thomas managed to win over the local populace on the strength of his sincerity and his prayers and devotion. It is said that the saint proceeded to Mylapore in Chennai from Kurisumudi. Close to the chapel are the footprints of the saint embedded in rock. Devotees throng the spot, which has now been placed in a glass enclosure, to pray for favours from the saint.

Pilgrimage

Upwards of four million visit St Thomas Shrine, Malayattoor, every year. Visits peak during Holy Week, when devotees in their thousands carry smaller crosses up the mountain in repentance for their sins. The feast of St Thomas is celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter, to commemorate the meeting of the resurrected Jesus with his Apostles. In 2004, the Vatican declared the pilgrim spot an International Shrine, in view of its close linkage with the mission of St Thomas in India and its historic significance in the evangelisation of the subcontinent.