There have been Christian communities in Kerala since the coming of Christianity to Europe (St. Thomas, the Apostle is supposed to have arrived here in 54 AD). The Portuguese, who unlike the English were as enthusiastic about spreading their brand of Christianity as making money from trade, left a large Christian community in Goa. Generally, however, if success is counted in number of converts, Christianity has not been greatly successful in India. The first round of Indian converts to Christianity were generally those from the ruling classes, and subsequently they were mainly from the lower castes. There are, however, two small states (Mizoram and Nagaland) where Christians form a majority of the population. A quarter of the population of Kerala and a third of Goa are also Christian. India has around 22 million Christians.

In a number of cities, there are small Jewish communities, but the Jews of Kochi (Cochin), in Kerala are of special interest because a group claims that they have arrived here in 587 BC. The Jewish Synagogue at Mattancherry and the Jew street are among the major tourist attractions in Kerala.