About 5 years ago I read an article about the discovery of an ancient Nativity Scene found buried in the attic of a Bhuddist Temple. The article dated these statues to the 1st Century and linked them to St. Thomas's evangelical journeys begun after Christ's crucifixion and rising. I was astonished at this revelation.
The article said that great effort had been to purge any remnant of Christianity from this town -- and not in the recent Cultural Revolution. The effort to purge the town of traces of Christianity dated back 2000 years.
As I remember, it was thought that the temple where the nativity scene was found (it might have bee an altar piece) was thought to have been a Christian Church as far back as the 1st century and then converted to another religion thousands of years ago.