St. Thomas Mount

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Hillock in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

title: "St. Thomas Mount" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["sacred-mountains-of-india", "churches-in-chennai", "neighbourhoods-in-chennai", "eastern-catholic-shrines"] description: "Hillock in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India" topic_path: "geography/india" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Thomas_Mount" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Hillock in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

FieldValue
nameSt. Thomas Mount
native_nameபரங்கிமலை (Parangimalai)
native_name_langta
settlement_typeNeighbourhood
image_skylineSide St Thomas Mount Church Chennai Aug22 A7C 02292.jpg
image_captionSt Thomas Church on the Mount
pushpin_mapIndia Chennai#Tamil Nadu
coordinateshttps://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Parangimalai&params=13_00_28.1_N_80_11_33.0_E_type:city_region:IN-TN
subdivision_typeCountry
subdivision_nameIndia
subdivision_type1State
subdivision_name1Tamil Nadu
subdivision_type2Metro
subdivision_name2Chennai
established_title
governing_bodySt.Thomas Mount-cum-Pallavaram
unit_prefMetric
area_total_km212.92
elevation_m91.44
population_total43795
population_as_of2011
population_density_km2auto
population_footnotes
demographics_type1Languages
demographics1_title1Official
demographics1_info1Tamil
timezone1IST
utc_offset1+5:30
postal_code_type
blank1_name_sec1Planning agency
blank1_info_sec1CMDA
::

| name = St. Thomas Mount | native_name = பரங்கிமலை (Parangimalai) | native_name_lang = ta | settlement_type = Neighbourhood | image_skyline = Side St Thomas Mount Church Chennai Aug22 A7C 02292.jpg | image_alt = | image_caption = St Thomas Church on the Mount | nickname = | image_map = | map_alt = | map_caption = | pushpin_map = India Chennai#Tamil Nadu | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_map_alt = | pushpin_map_caption = | coordinates = https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Parangimalai&params=13_00_28.1_N_80_11_33.0_E_type:city_region:IN-TN | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = India | subdivision_type1 = State | subdivision_name1 = Tamil Nadu | subdivision_type2 = Metro | subdivision_name2 = Chennai | established_title = | established_date = | founder = | named_for = | government_type = | governing_body = St.Thomas Mount-cum-Pallavaram | unit_pref = Metric | area_footnotes = | area_rank = | area_total_km2 = 12.92 | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = 91.44 | population_total = 43795 | population_as_of = 2011 | population_rank = | population_density_km2 = auto | population_demonym = | population_footnotes = | demographics_type1 = Languages | demographics1_title1 = Official | demographics1_info1 = Tamil | timezone1 = IST | utc_offset1 = +5:30 | postal_code_type = | postal_code = | registration_plate = | blank1_name_sec1 = Planning agency | blank1_info_sec1 = CMDA | website = | footnotes = | official_name =

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Aerial_SE_St_Thomas_Mount_Chennai_Jul25_R16_07931.jpg" caption="Aerial view of St. Thomas Mount from the southeast"] ::

St. Thomas Mount (also known as Parangimalai) is a small hillock in the Chennai district of Tamil Nadu, India, near the neighbourhood of Guindy and close to Chennai International Airport. By extension, it is also the name of the neighbourhood surrounding the hillock.

The neighbourhood is served by the Chennai Metro and the St. Thomas Mount railway station, on the South line of the Chennai Suburban Railway. The Chennai MRTS is also planned to be extended to reach the area in 2026.

History

The area is closely associated with local traditions. According to Hindu tradition, the sage Bhringi resided and meditated on the hillock in his quest to see Shiva. The locality thus came to be known as Bhringi malai, or "the hill of Bhringi", which over time morphed into "Parangimalai". It is also said that this connects several other regions in the city with the origin of their names. For instance, the place where he laid his pitcher, known in Tamil as kindi while performing worship, has now come to be known as "Guindy".

According to Christian traditions, the hill is the site where St. Thomas the Apostle was martyred in 72 AD after being struck with a spear. In 1523, the Portuguese missionary Diego Fernandes built a small oratory on the Mount, reportedly over the foundations of an earlier church. As the number of pilgrims grew, Gaspar Coelho, the Vicar of the Church of Mylapore, laid the foundation for a larger church in 1547 and dedicated it to Our Lady of the Mount. The church is believed to have served as a lighthouse for Portuguese and Armenian ships during the 16th century.

In 1802, William Lambton, the surveyor responsible for launching the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India, began his work from the plateau of St. Thomas Mount. In 1830, the St. Thomas Garrison Church was built to serve British soldiers of the Madras Artillery, which was headquartered in the area since 1774.

In 1962, Archbishop Louis Mathias of Madras-Mylapore oversaw the laying of an asphalt road to the summit, and by 1963, a calvary was installed atop the hill, overlooking the city.

In the state assembly elections of 1967 and 1971, there was a constituency known as St. Thomas Mount.

In 1986, Pope John Paul II visited the St. Thomas Mount Church.

Governance

The St. Thomas Mount block is a revenue block in the Chengalpattu district of Tamil Nadu, India. As per the Census 2011, the St. Thomas Mount development block covered an area of 86.94 sqkm, of which 42.98 sqkm was classified as rural and 43.96 sqkm as urban. The block included 121,017 household with a total population of 475,995. The sex ratio was 978.7 females per 1,000 males. The number of children in the age group 0–6 years was 55,103. Scheduled castes numbered 74,322 (15.6%) and scheduled tribes were 2.544 (0.53%). The literacy rate was 77.6%, with males at 81.3% and females at 73.9%.

The following 15 rural village panchayats and part of Greater Chennai Corporation come under St Thomas Mount Panchayat Union:

  1. Agaramthen
  2. Medavakkam
  3. Kovilambakkam
  4. Cowl bazaar
  5. Mudichur
  6. Perumbakkam
  7. Nanmangalam
  8. Polichalur
  9. Trisulam
  10. Ottyambakkam
  11. Thiruvanchery
  12. Vengaivasal
  13. Madurapakkam
  14. Moovarasampattu
  15. Sithalapakkam
  16. Greater Chennai Corporation - Madipakkam-B / Madipakkam-II revenue village (under Zone-14, Puzhutivakkam of GCC). For this revenue village, Revenue and Disaster Management is under GCC, local body administration is under St. Thomas Mount Panchayat Union through Kovilambakkam rural village panchayat

Hill shrine

Main article: St. Thomas Mount National Shrine Basilica

A shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Expectation stands at the summit of St. Thomas Mount, marking the site where St. Thomas is traditionally believed to have been martyred. In 2011, the shrine was formally granted "national shrine" status by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, recognising its historical and religious significance, and was designated a minor basilica in 2025.

A flight of 134 steps, built in 1726 and donated by Armenian merchant Coja Petrus Uscan, leads up to the summit, where 14 Stations of the Cross are positioned along the path. The northern foot of the mount features a gateway of four arches, surmounted by a cross with an inscription dating it to 1547. The area also includes the St. Thomas Garrison Church at the base and the St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Church, east of the shrine at North Silver Street.

Geology

St. Thomas Mount lies within the high‑grade metamorphic belt of southern India known as the Southern Granulite Terrain (SGT), specifically the "Madras block.

The dominant rock exposed at the Mount is a typical representative of the charnockite series, a hypersthene-bearing quartz–feldspar granulite characteristic of high‑grade granulite-facies metamorphism.

As a result of these exposures, the rock outcrop at St. Thomas Mount has been declared a national monument by the Geological Survey of India, promoting it for study and geotourism.

Educational institutions

St. Thomas Mount has several schools and training institutions.

Schools

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/St_Thomas_Academy_Chennai_Aug22_A7C_02316.jpg" caption="St Thomas Academy (ca. Aug. '22)"] ::

  • St. Dominic's Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School was founded in July 1901 as Holy Apostles Convent European School for children of the British and Anglo Indian Army Personnel. In 1914 it was renamed as St Dominic's School. In 1978 Class 12 was added.
  • Marian Matriculation Higher Secondary School is an English medium, co-educational senior secondary school from lower kindergarten (LKG) to class 12.
  • St. Thomas Academy is an English medium, co-educational higher secondary school started in July 2017 and by 2022 had about 400 students. It is affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
  • Montfort Matriculation Higher Secondary School is a highly regarded institution that opened in 2002 at this location. Presently, the school has 2500+ students from kindergarten to grade twelve.

Vocational training institutes

  • St. Theresa of Child Jesus School of Nursing is located in St. Thomas Hospital. Started in 1993, by 2012 it was admitting 20 students annually.
  • Montfort Technical Institute is a private industrial training institute (ITI). Established in Jan 1972, it is one of 326 private ITIs in the state of Tamil Nadu.

Gallery

Exterior of the church

File:Evangelical Entrance Thomas Mount Church Chennai Aug22 R16 06223.jpg|Entrance to the shrine File:Main Entrance St Thomas Mount Church Chennai Aug22 A7C 02249.jpg|Main entrance to the church File:Bell Tower Station XIV Thomas Mount Chennai Aug22 A7C 02255.jpg|Bell tower File:North Facade Adoration Chapel Thomas Mount Aug22 A7C 02286.jpg|Blessed Sacrament Adoration Chapel File:Statue Mary Untier Knots Thomas Mount Chennai Aug22 A7C 02267.jpg|Mary Untier of Knots File:St Thomas Mount2.JPG|Flagstaff File:Statue Mother Teresa Thomas Mount Chennai Aug22 A7C 02284.jpg|Mother Teresa

Interior of the church

File:Interior Nave Thomas Church Mount Chennai Aug22 A7C 02257.jpg|Nave File:ST. THOMAS MT. - panoramio (8).jpg|Altar File:Relic 8 Apostle Thomas Mount Chennai Aug22 A7C 02260.jpg|Relic of an apostle File:Statue Thomas Infant Jesus Mount Chennai Aug22 A7C 02264.jpg|Saint Anthony and infant Jesus File:Gravestone Anna St Thomas Mount Chennai Aug22 R16 06221.jpg|Gravestone in the entrance

Stations of the Cross

The 14 Stations of the Cross are positioned along the 134-step climb up the Mount. File:Statue of jesus at st.Thomas mount church, chennai 3.JPG|3: Jesus falls for the first time. File:Statue of jesus at st.Thomas mount church, chennai 5.JPG|5: Simon helps carry the cross. File:Statue of jesus at st.Thomas mount church, chennai.JPG|10: Jesus is stripped of his garments. File:Station Cross XIII Thomas Mount Chennai Aug22 A7C 02282.jpg|13: Jesus is taken down from the cross. File:Station Cross XIV Thomas Mount Chennai Aug22 R16 06211.jpg|14: Jesus is laid in the tomb.

Church of South India churches

File:CSI Wesley English Church (1829).jpg|Wesley English Church (1829) File:CSI St. Thomas Garrison Church.jpg|St. Thomas Garrison Church (1830) File:CSI Wesley Tamil Church (1860).jpg|Wesley Tamil Church (1860)

Views from the mount

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Chennai_city_panorama_annotated.jpg" caption="A panoramic view of the city of Chennai as seen from the top of St. Thomas Mount, from northwest clockwise to southeast"] ::

File:View_NW_Thomas_Mount_Chennai_Aug22_R16_06220.jpg|View to north-west File:Alandur Metro Station Chennai Aug22 A7C 02276.jpg|Alandur Metro Station File:AirAsia A320 VT-MLE Landing Chennai Aug22 D72 24870.jpg|AirAsia A320 final approach File:Pallavaram Hill Runway NE Chennai Airport Aug22 A7C 02296.jpg|NE runway, Pallavaram Hill File:Touchdown Indigo A320 VT-ISY Chennai Aug22 A7C 02308.jpg|Indigo A320 touch down File:International Terminal Airside Chennai Airport Aug22 D72 24874.jpg|International terminal

|title = Areas of Chennai |Northwest = Nandambakkam |North = Ekkaduthangal |Northeast = Guindy |West = Officers Training Academy, Manapakkam |Centre = St. Thomas Mount |East = Alandur |Southwest = Pazhavanthangal, Chennai Airport, Tambaram, Mudichur |South = Adambakkam, Pazhavanthangal |Southeast = St. Thomas Mount railway station, Velachery

References

References

  1. "Archived copy".
  2. (2016-12-22). "St.Thomas Mount railway".
  3. "St. Thomas Mount Metro".
  4. (2025-11-19). "Chennai MRTS service by January 2026, after much delays".
  5. Krupa, Lakshmi. (22 August 2013). "What's in a name?". Kasturi & Sons.
  6. Farmer, David Hugh. (2011). "The Oxford dictionary of saints". Oxford university press.
  7. (2012-07-17). "View from a few floors above". The Hindu.
  8. (2021-06-02). "Unveiling the Great Arc: The Ambitious Scientific Journey that Mapped India".
  9. Alexander, Deepa. (2023-08-09). "Madras Day {{!}} An Anglo-Indian memory of St. Thomas Mount". The Hindu.
  10. "Visit to the Church of Mount Saint Thomas in Madras (February 5, 1986)".
  11. (2014). "Census of India 2011: District Census Handbook Kancheepuram Tamil Nadu Village and Town Wise Primary Census Abstract (PCA). Part XII-B, Series 34". Directorate of Census Operations, Tamil Nadu.
  12. "Local Body Ward Delimitation – 2020 – Chengalpattu District {{!}} Kancheepuram District, Government of Tamilnadu {{!}} City of Thousand Temples {{!}} India".
  13. Srinivasan, Ramah. (2018-07-21). "A long eluded visit to St.Thomas Mount".
  14. (2011-01-18). "St Thomas church gets national status". The Times of India.
  15. (2025-07-09). "Historic St. Thomas Shrine in South India Elevated to Minor Basilica".
  16. Parthasarathy, Anusha. (2013-08-13). "Symbols of an age". The Hindu.
  17. (2015-05-26). "Where the past lives on". The Hindu.
  18. "St. Thomas Syro Malabar Catholic Church".
  19. Santosh, M.. (2020-03-01). "The Southern Granulite Terrane: A synopsis". Episodes.
  20. Howie, R. A.. (1955). "XVIII.—The Geochemistry of the Charnockite Series of Madras, India". Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
  21. Ayyappan, V. (2023-10-05). "A little-known monument to a stone". The Times of India.
  22. (2020). "ABOUT ST.DOMINICS".
  23. "Marian Matriculation Higher Secondary School, St. Thomas Mount".
  24. "Marian Matriculation Higher Secondary School".
  25. (2022). "Our History".
  26. "Details OF SCHOOL AFFILIATED TO Central Board of Secondary Education".
  27. (2012). "Milestones".
  28. (2012). "Nursing School".
  29. (7 Jul 2022). "Montfort Private Technical Institute".
  30. Directorate of Employment and Training (DET). "Welcome to Industrial Skill Training".
  31. Directorate of Employment and Training (DET). "Name of the Private Industrial Training Institute in Tamil Nadu".

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