ROOHA MEDIA

We can see many kinds of crosses in Christian world. The Mar ThomaSliva (St.Thomas Cross), Greek Cross, Latin Cross, Patriarchal Cross, Papal Cross, Calvary Cross, Russian Cross, Celtic Cross, Cross of Triumph, Tau Cross etc are some of them. It is according to the meaning given to a Cross that it assumes a particular name, qualification and form. Although all kinds of crosses are acceptable and venerable in the universal Church, many Apostolic Churches use their own forms of the cross. St Thomas Christians have always the Cross which has been designed according to their own theology. It is known as Mar ThomaSliva or St Thomas Cross.

Antonio de Gouvea, a Portuguese historian, says about Mar Thoma Sliva in Jornada written on 1606:.”And all old ones were all built like the temples of the gentiles, but all full of crosses like those of the miracle Mylapore  cross ,which they call cross of Sainth Thomas ,from which it can be seen how more old is the veneration of this cross,and affection and its way, than the time when it was found by the portughese ; for the old churches built by these Christians many years before the Portughese came out to India , were all adorned by them both with painting and with scriptures. (Gouvea, 1606) So from this document itself we can comprehend that St Thomas Crosses were used by the St Thomas Christians of India. For the ancient churches built before, long before the coming of the Portuguese, were all ornamented with themboth painted and graven….” .Ancient models of the Mar Thoma Sliva or St Thomas Crosses carved in stone with ancient scriptures are found in the Pillar Museum Goa, Syrian Jacobite churches at Kottayam and Kadamattam and in the Syro Malabar Catholic churches at Muttuchira, Alengad, Kothanellur and so on. The researcher, during the research visited Museum of Archelologicial Survey of India, Old Goa and identified an ancient St Thomas cross from a very old stone pillar brought to Goa from Mylapore by the Portuguese. The Pahlavi inscriptions on these ancient  Crosses have been studied by many experts. A C Burnell (1873), Dr Martin Haug (1874), Prof Baron De Harlez (1892) and Dr E W West (1986) and Dastur Darab PeshotanSanjana (1914) deciphered and translated the inscriptions by studying the Mailppore Cross and the two Kottayam Crosses. Later, Dr. J Modi wrote in 1924 about these inscriptions, after studying about the Cross at Kadamattom and in 1926, after studying about Muttuchira Cross also.Age of these inscriptions has been fixed at about 7th or 8th century AD by most of the Pahlavi experts. Carbon dating was done for Mylapore cross .Studies Claim that the Mylapore cross belongs to 6th century. During that period Pahalavi may be used as the liturgical language along with Syriac .Most of the ancient Crosses found from various parts of India were carved over here itself. Many are the copies of the Mylapore Cross. The Portuguese purposefully destroyed St Thomas Crosses and introduced the Crucifix after the Synod of Diamper under the leadership of Arch Bishop Alexis De Menezez. An ancient St Thomas Cross found from Agassim Goa was buried under an open air Latin cross. The Portuguese broke Cross and erected a Latin cross over that .