Coonan Cross Oath

The Coonan Cross Oath (Koonan Kurishu Satyam), taken on January 3, 1653, was a public avowal by members of the Saint Thomas Christian community of Kerala, India that they would not submit to Portuguese dominance in ecclesiastical and secular life. The swearing of the oath was a major event in the history of the Saint Thomas Christian community and marked a major turning point in its relations with the Portuguese colonial government. The oath resulted directly in the formation of an independent Malankara Churchin 1665 AD, with Mar Thoma I as its head, and ultimately in the first permanent split in the community.

Historically the Saint Thomas Christians were part of the Vaishnavite Vedic Hinduism of chera kingdom an early offshoot of ancient Judaism with Nampthali Jews called Namputhiri in Sanskrit as the main pillars of the Tradition,but the collapse of the Namputhiri christian hierarchy throughout chera king dom following the shivite revival by Adi shankara in the early 9th century opened the door for the introduction of Syrian liturgy by vaishnavite saint and chera king Rajashekara varma ,also called as Ayyandikal Thiruvadikal by the Tarissapalli copper plates given to Mar Abo in 825 AD, Beginning the Malayalam Calender