The Sankarapuri Family: Origins and Role in the History of Marth Mariam Church, Kuravilangad As is widely known, St. Thomas the Apostle, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ, arrived on the Malabar Coast at Kodungallur in AD 52. Following his missionary work in that region, he travelled southward to Palayoor (present-day Chavakkad), where 32 Brahmin families embraced the Christian faith. Among these were four distinguished families: Sankarapuri, Pakalomattom, Kalli, and Kalikavu. According to oral tradition, facing resistance from local groups, some of the early Christian families migrated further south during the 2nd century and found refuge in the northern region of the Ettumanur chiefdom, in a place called Kalikav. Another version traces their migration from Palayoor (10.56°N), suggesting that in search of safer inland settlements, they followed a discreet maritime route southward. They likely passed through Purakkad (9.77°N) — a smaller west-coast port almost directly aligned in latitude with Kuravilangad (9.77°N). From there, they traveled eastward via Kaduthuruthy (9.80°N), an inland lagoon-accessed port, and continued overland to reach the fertile and naturally fortified valley of Kuravilangad, already known to Jewish traders for its pepper riches.