freinds, i was in mangalore(now udipi/odippu) district for 3.5 years. there christianity is well rooted. it is said since the arrival of vasco-da-gama. the west coast extending from goa to cape -comorin and from tuticorin to negombo in srilanka. this strip from goa to negombo have the distiction of conversion from portugese period.(except the so called syrians of kottayam).
the west coast did not have an organised poloitical structure after the fall of cheras in 13th century. hence it was free for all in west coast. arabs and europeans plundered the natives. large scale genetic inbreeding took place. adding fuel to this was the kerala practice of sambandham. this practice allowed women to be taken as wives for short contract after offering a ritual and gold to the official family.
this ethnic cross breeding is well seen in tellicherry and the sorroundings. nevertheless the pattern was by and large confined to the west coast only. whreas the east coast extending from kolkatta to batticaloa in srilanka the population had been very very insular. there was neither cross breeding nor conversion. this was lagely attributed to relatively strong local governments like the nayak regimes in andhra and tamilnadu.
indian christians are by andlarge two groups 1.north east india-here people are mongoloid tribes converted over the past 100 years. 2.the west coast christians -converted and geneticaly mixed(mulattoes).
the west coast is actually the slave coast of india and the east coast can be called as the colony coast. the east coast was ecnomiclly exploited