How do the Thomma Parvam and other Malayalam songs preserve the Thomas Christian tradition?

The Thomma Parvam ("Song of Thomas") and other traditional Malayalam songs, such as the Margam Kali Pattu and the Rabban Pattu, serve as vital repositories of the Thomas Christian tradition by preserving the community's oral history and identity.1

These compositions, written in the native Malayalam language, function alongside epigraphic remains and ancient stone inscriptions to document the belief that the apostle St. Thomas arrived at Malankara in 52 ce to establish the faith in India. By anchoring the community's origins in these oral narratives, these songs help maintain a sense of historical continuity and cultural heritage that persists despite the challenges of the community's later history, including the schism and the pressures exerted by the Goa Inquisition following the Synod of Diamper.12