This is the second volume of the Church History Association of India's six volume History of Christianity in India. It deals with the period 1542 to 1700 i.e. from the arrival of Saint Francis Xavier to the diversification of missionary efforts after the arrival of missionaries from other traditions and through significant changes in the socio? political history of India. This volume represents a genuine attempt of the author to write the history of the period in accordance with the perspective adopted for the series. Socio-political developments provide the background to the role played by missions and missionaries , and the national perspective has been borne in mind while examining the development in the various regions. The role played by missionaries and churchmen has been put in the proper perspective of the development of Christian communities in various regions. The effort the author has made in this revolutionary adaptation is very significant, particularly when the sources available might have made it tempting to write it as an extension of Western missionary enterprise. With absolute fidelity to sources which exist in different languages Fr. Thekkedath has unearthed an enormous amount of details about various communities in the length and breadth of India during this rather obscure period. This book will serve as a valuable reference work for the history of Christianity in India for the period covered.