Saint Thomas Mount (Tamil – Parangimilai) is an India National Shrine. It is a prominent hill in Chennai near the airport. It is topped with a Roman Catholic church, named after the hill. It is an easy hike – paved with steps – to the summit. We don’t recommend this hike during the spring or summer months. January is a perfect time. The days are balmy and the evenings are perfect for a long stroll up a short hill. Of course, the cows love to explore the area. We visited shortly after Pongal. The pictured cow had her horns decorated for the occasion.
There is history mixed with legend here. Saint Thomas (also known as “doubting Thomas” – John 20:27-28) is said to have travelled to India during the 1st Century AD – around 60 AD.
According to the St. Thomas Mount web page (http://stthomasmount.org/history.php), the ancient Apostle was martyred here. There is a similar story at the Little Mount (near our Little Mount chapel) Shrine – Thomas reportedly hid from his enemies at that location. Little Mount is approximately 3 miles from St. Thomas Mount.
The Syrian (no relation to the Middle East war torn nation) Christian Community traces its origin to Thomas. Contemporary members tell us that when the Portuguese landed in the late 1400s, Christianity was already in practice.
