The Myth of Saint Thomas and The Mylapore Shiva Temples

DETAILS : 

• Author: by Ishwar Sharan
  
• Publisher: ‎ Voice of India
  
• Publication date: ‎ 1 January 2019
  
• Language: ‎ English
  
• Print length: ‎ 450 pages
  
• ISBN-10: ‎ 9385485202
  
• ISBN-13: ‎ 978-9385485206
  
• Item Weight‏: ‎ 550 g

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Myth of Saint Thomas and the Mylapore Shiva Temple by Ishwar Sharan is a controversial polemical work and historical investigation examining the traditions surrounding St. Thomas the Apostle's arrival and martyrdom in South India. The core philosophy of this book revolves around challenging the historical authenticity of the St. Thomas legend in Chennai (Mylapore), asserting instead that the San Thome Cathedral Basilica was built over the site of an ancient, destroyed Kapaleeshwara Shiva temple on the Mylapore seashore. Compiling historical records, Portuguese colonial accounts, archaeological arguments, and ecclesiastical correspondence, the author argues that the narrative of St. Thomas being martyred at St. Thomas Mount by local Brahmins was constructed during the Portuguese colonial era to legitimize Christian missionary presence and appropriate sacred indigenous spaces. The text acts as a sharp critique of colonial historiography and religious appropriation in South India

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ishwar Sharan (born Swami Devananda Saraswati, originally a Canadian-born writer and researcher who converted to Hinduism) is a independent researcher, historian, and polemicist focused on South Asian religious history, Christian missionary strategies, and temple destruction accounts. Writing with a sharp, combative, and detail-dense voice, his work extensively draws from colonial records, travelogues, and archival materials to challenge popular historical narratives. Over several decades, his research has been widely cited in discussions concerning the historiography of early Christianity in India, Hindu temple history, and South Indian cultural politics.