Thazhekad, is the site of one of the earliest St Thomas Christian

Saint Thomas Christians

The Saint Thomas Christians are an ancient body of Christians from Kerala, India, who trace their origins to the evangelical activity of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century. They are also known as "Nasranis" because they are followers of "Jesus of Nazareth". The term "Nasrani" is still used by St...

 communities in Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

. Once a prosperous inland port, during heyday of Muziris

Kodungallur

Kodungallur is a municipality in Thrissur District, in the state of Kerala, India on the Malabar Coast. Kodungallur is located about 29 km northwest of Kochi city and 38 km Southwest of Thrissur, on National Highway 17 . Muziris the ancient seaport at the mouth of the Periyar River was...

. The landscape was changed with the great floods of 1341AD.

It is the site of the Thazhekad sasanam, a stone inscribed with one of the earliest surviving edicts granting special privileges to the St Thomas Christians. The inscription can be dated palaeographically to between the 8th and 10th centuries. The Thazhekad St Sebastian church is one of the oldest in Kerala dating back to AD 800. The church is also the largest pilgrimage center in the Irinjalakuda

Irinjalakuda

Irinjalakuda is a municipal town situated in the Thrissur district of Kerala, India. It is famous for the sprawling Koodalmanikyam Temple that has Bharata as the main deity and the St Thomas Cathedral in the heart of the City...

 Diocese.

The churches and temples in the area were ravaged by Tippu Sultan's army, during his invasion of the south, between 1789-1792.