Malankara Orthodox Church.

Malankara Orthodox Syrian church is the integral part of the Oriental Orthodox family. The Catholicos of the Malankara Orthodox church is His Holiness Basalios Marthoma Mathews II and H.h. is going to celebrate the 91 st birth day on 30th January, 2005. H.H. Mar Mathews II is believed as the eldest head of the Church in the world.

The center of the H.H. Catholicos is at Kottayam , Kerala, India and the Throne of Malankara orthodox Church is founded by St. Thomas the appostole of India. It is in A.D. 52. St. Thomas came to India and converted five Brahmin families (Hindu priest family) to Christianity and ordinated the Pakalomattom family for the priesthood and that is the heriditory of the Priesthood of the malankara Orthodox Church. St. Thomas became a martyr in A.D. 72 in India and His reminings were kept at Mylapore, in Tamil Nadu (Late Madras) at St. Thomas Mount and later it has taken to Eddias.

Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church is having Catholicose, Catholicate designate and 22 metropolitans. Four more Ramban priests shall be elevated as Metropolitans in March, 2005. the Church is having 3,500,000 members and having Churches in all over India, Kuwait, U.A.E., U.S.A. , Europe, Australia, Africa and other places.

A fraction of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian church is separated from the mother Church and now is under the juridiction of the H.H. Patriarcha of Damascus which is leading by the His Beatitude Mar Thomas.