The 'Nestorian cross' - around 500AD at the Museum, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.

Christianity came to South India long before the European invaders. Malabar still has a Christian community dating back to the Apostle Thomas. Marco Polo described this in his travels. He saw a tomb with a Nestorian cross which was shown to him as the tomb of St.Thomas in South India. Nestorian missionaries had reached Japan and China subsequently. The Nestorian Cross in the Anuradhapura museum is dated around 500 AD.