The Archbishop of Thrissur is the chief bishop and principal leader of the nearly half a million Syro Malabar Catholics now used to be the largest catholic diocese in India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, when it included the Syro-Malabar Catholic Archdiocese of Thrissur, Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Irinjalakuda

Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Irinjalakuda

The Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Irinjalakuda is situated in Irinjalakuda city of Thrissur District of Kerala, India. The Diocese was created by Pope Paul VI in his Bull Trichurensis Eparchiae of June 22, 1978. Mar James Pazhayattil was the first Bishop. He was succeeded by Mar Pauly Kannookadan...

, Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Palghat

Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Palghat

-History of Diocese of Palghat :The Eparchy of Palghat was erected on June 20, 1974, through the Decree "Apostolico Requirente" by Pope Paul VI, bifurcating the eparchy of Trichur and adding into the territory of the new eparchy a few parishes of the eparchy of Tellichery, which were in the...

 and Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Ramanathapuram

Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Ramanathapuram

The Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Ramanathapuram is situated in Ramanathapuram city in Coimbatore District of Tamil Nadu. The Diocese includes Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode and Karur districts. The Diocese of Ramanathapuram was created by bifurcating Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Palghat. The...

. He is also the Archbishop of Syro-Malabar Catholic Archdiocese of Thrissur. The title is more powerful as he is the custodian of St. Thomas Church (Palayur)

St. Thomas Church (Palayur)

St. Thomas Church is located at Palayur , in Thrissur district in Kerala on the west coast of India. According to tradition, it was established in 52 AD by St Thomas, one of the twelve close disciples of Jesus Christ. Palayoor church is the oldest Church in India and is called an Apostolic...

, where Christianity came to Indian sub-continent, and have two blessed people, Maria Theresa Chiramel

Maria Theresa Chiramel

Blessed Maria Theresa Chiramel was a Syro-Malabarese Catholic nun who was beatified in 2000. She was the daughter of Thoma and Thanda Chiramel Mankidiyan in the village of Puthenchira, Thrissur District, in Kerala, India. She was baptized Thresia Chiramel Mankidiyan on May 3, 1876. She was the...

 and Euphrasia Eluvathingal

Euphrasia Eluvathingal

Blessed Sister Euphrasia Eluvathingal or Euphrasia of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the fifth Syro-Malabar Catholic Church nun and a member of Carmelites of Mary Immaculate beatified by the Roman Catholic Church in 2006...

in the Archdiocese.