Santhome Church excavations in 1842

    There has always been a belief/ view that a temple was their before in the  place where the  Santhome Cathedral exists.  Some artefacts relating to that  are also found in the Museum of the Church.  In September 1942 when they were digging the ground for construction of a  Porch in the  south side of the  old Church (demolished in 1893)as per orders of the  Bishop two granite pillars of dimensions  12feet  length and 6 feet circumference  were found similar to those found in Hindu temples. The Bishop at that time was John Fennelly.   A first hand account of the  event as published then.

        "The Catholic Bishop ordered a porch to be built at the  south door of St . Thoma's church at St.Thome. The  bricklayers having removed the earth to lay the foundation saw one end of a granite stone and continuing to remove the earth they discovered a solid stone pillar measuring twelve feet in length and six or seven feet in circumference. On this being communicated to the Bishop he ordered a further search to be made as it is generally believed that before St . Thomas erected a chapel there a Hindu chapel was situated on the  spot which was either thrown down by time or the  followers of  St . Thomas. On the  earth being removed further another stone pillar of the same make and dimension was discovered about three yards distance from the other. A small flat stone also was taken up from the place containing some writing which has not yet been deciphered. The  pillars are of simple India  masonary and something similar to those we often see in the Hindu temples".