ɪn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd fˈaɪvhˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti wˈʌn, ðə pˌoːɹtʃəɡˈiːz ɪn ɡˈoʊə ænd bˈɑːmbeɪbˈæsiːn sˈɛnt mˈɪʃənˌɛɹiz tə mədɹˈɑːs nˈaʊ tʃˈɛnaɪ ɪn sˈɜːtʃ ʌvðə tˈuːm ʌv tˈɑːməs ðɪ ɐpˈɑːsəl, hˌuː baɪ lˈoʊkəl tɹɐdˈɪʃən hæd kˈʌm tə sˈaʊθ ˈeɪʒə tə pɚfˈɔːɹm bˈæptɪzəmz ænd ɪstˈæblɪʃ tʃˈɜːtʃᵻz.
In 1521, the Portuguese in Goa and Bombay-Bassein sent missionaries to Madras (now Chennai) in search of the tomb of Thomas the Apostle, who by local tradition had come to South Asia to perform baptisms and establish churches.