India GO
Malayattoor Perunnal: the St Thomas hill pilgrimage
Barefoot up a forest hill, thousands calling to the golden cross
Malayattoor Perunnal is the feast of the apostle Thomas on Kurisumudi, a 609-metre hill above the Periyar in Ernakulam district, about 40 km from Kochi: 4 April 2027 (expected). It falls on Puthunjayar, New Sunday, the first Sunday after Easter, but the climb itself goes on through Lent and the weeks after Easter. Pilgrims walk up to the hilltop church, many barefoot and some carrying wooden crosses, calling to the "golden cross" of the legend.
The date follows Easter, so it is known years ahead; St Thomas Church, Malayattoor, posts the programme a few weeks before.
The legend
Tradition holds that the apostle Thomas sailed to Kerala in AD 52 and landed near Kodungallur.
Passing through Malayattoor, he climbed a forested hill and, it is believed, spent many days there in prayer.
He traced a cross on the rock and kissed the stone, and there, legend says, a golden cross appeared. Another rock kept his footprints.
The feast falls on New Sunday: on that day, the eighth after the Resurrection, Christ appeared to Thomas and cleared his doubts.
So pilgrims climb Kurisumudi with one call: "Ponnum Kurishu Muthappo, Ponmala Kayattom", "Father of the golden cross, we shall climb the golden hill".
Meaning
Tamil Nadu
Many pilgrims come from Tamil Nadu. The Archbishop of Trivandrum suggests the name Muthappan for Thomas came from there along the old Kodungallur to Madras route.
For the Church
The Catholic Church has declared the shrine an international pilgrimage centre, and in 1998 it was raised to archdiocesan status.
Customs
The climb
Pilgrims walk three kilometres uphill to the hilltop church. They climb without festivities, after a time of austere living and prayer.
Crosses on shoulders
Some pilgrims carry heavy wooden crosses on their shoulders up the hill.
Start by the river
The path starts in the valley, at a statue of St Thomas. Below, on the Periyar bank, stands the parish church, Thazhathu, traced to the year 900.
Two rocks
At the top, among the eight rocks of Kurisumudi, the rock of the golden cross and the rock with the apostle's footprints are kept.
Daily Mass
Services are held at the summit every day, and in the pilgrimage weeks people climb to them from all over Kerala and the neighbouring states.
Words of the festival
പുതുഞായർ
puthunjayar
"New Sunday", the first after Easter, the feast day
പെരുന്നാൾ
perunnal
"great feast"; in Kerala both church feasts and the Muslim Eids go by this word
തോമാശ്ലീഹാ
Thoma Sleeha
the apostle Thomas, as Kerala's Christians call him
പൊൻ കുരിശ്
pon kurishu
"golden cross", the one that appeared on the rock; a large cross now marks it
മുത്തപ്പൻ
muthappan
"patriarch", the pilgrims' name for Thomas on the hill
True or myth
✅ True. Until 1968 the hill was dense forest, and wild elephants damaged the back of the 1595 church. The damage has been kept as it was.
❌ Myth. It is the Sunday after, Puthunjayar, when Christ's appearance to Thomas is remembered.
✅ True. Mala is mountain, aru is river, oor is place: the hill and the Periyar that wraps around it.
A pilgrimage, not a carnival
Kerala's Syrian Christians trace their church to the apostle Thomas, who by tradition landed at Muziris, today's Kodungallur, in AD 52 and later withdrew to the Malayattoor hills to pray. On the hilltop the faithful keep two rocks: one with the mark of a golden cross and one with what are held to be his footprints. The feast day is New Sunday because on that day, the eighth after the Resurrection, Christ appeared to Thomas and answered his doubt.
The Catholic Church has given the shrine the status of an international pilgrimage centre, and in 1998 it was raised to an archdiocesan shrine. Most pilgrims climb after a time of fasting and prayer, without festivities, and the hill is busiest in Holy Week: the Good Friday crowds are among the largest of the year. Services are held at the summit every day of the season.
The climb up Kurisumudi
The route from the river to the summit, in the order pilgrims meet it.
- The parish church by the Periyar
Below the hill, on the river bank, stands the parish church of St Thomas, traced to around the year 900. It keeps its own feast in March or April.
- The start in the valley
The path begins at a statue of St Thomas. Pilgrims walk about three kilometres uphill on a rocky forest path, chanting "Ponnum Kurishu Muthappo, Ponmala Kayattom": "Father of the golden cross, we shall climb the golden hill".
- On the way up
An old chapel whose back wall still bears the marks of wild elephants, from the years when the hill was dense forest, and a small spring said to have appeared when Thomas struck the rock.
- The summit
Among the eight rocks of Kurisumudi: the rock of the golden cross, now marked by a large cross, the rock with the footprints, the hilltop church and the Marthoma Mandapam with relics of the apostle. There is also accommodation for pilgrims at the top.
Before you climb
It is a place of prayer: climb quietly, dress modestly and give way to those carrying crosses.
- Heat — April around Kochi averages about 34 °C by day and 25 °C at night, with the first pre-monsoon showers (about 116 mm over seven rainy days). Carry water.
- Barefoot or not — Many pilgrims climb barefoot as a vow; it is not required of visitors. The path is rock and forest floor, so wear shoes with grip if you keep yours on.
- Busiest days — Good Friday and New Sunday. The climb goes on through Lent and the weeks after Easter, so other days are an option.
How to get to Malayattoor
Malayattoor is in Ernakulam district, about 40 km from Kochi. Cochin International Airport is about 15 km from the church and Kalady town about 15 km. The nearest railway station is Angamaly, about 17 km away, but most trains stop at Aluva instead. Kochi is the natural base: see how to get to Kochi, the airport page and Kochi's churches.
FAQ
When is Malayattoor Perunnal?
On Puthunjayar, the first Sunday after Easter: 4 April 2027 (expected). Because it follows Easter, the date is known years ahead; the church posts its programme a few weeks before.
What is Malayattoor famous for?
For the St Thomas shrine on Kurisumudi, where tradition holds the apostle prayed and left a golden cross and his footprints on the rock, and for the barefoot pilgrimage climb to it.
Which district is Malayattoor church in?
Ernakulam district, Kerala, about 15 km from Cochin International Airport.
Is Malayattoor in the Western Ghats?
Yes. Kurisumudi, about 609 m high, is a hill of the Western Ghats, partly ringed by the Periyar.
Is Malayattoor's main day Easter?
No. It is the Sunday after Easter, New Sunday, when Christ's appearance to Thomas is remembered; Good Friday is the other very busy day on the hill.
Sources (5)
Facts checked: 22 October 2026. Prices and hours are approximate; check locally.