The Saint Thomas Christians or Mar Thoma Christians are a group of Christians from the Malabar coast (now Kerala) in South India that follows the tradition of conversion to Christianity by St. Thomas the Apostle. The different groups and denominations within the St Thomas Christians together form the Nasrani people , who also follow Syriac Christianity traditions. The tradition goes back to the very beginning of first century Christian thought, and the seven churches that are believed to have been established by St. Thomas the Apostle in 52 AD. They are popularly known as Syrian Christians in view of the Syriac (classical form of Aramaic) liturgy used in church services since the early days of Christianity in India.
Mar Thoma Church, is Apostolic in origin, Universal in nature, Biblical in faith, Evangelical in principle, Ecumenical in outlook, Oriental in worship, Democratic in function, and Episcopal in character.