Restrictions may apply for images which contain third party ed material or sensitive subjects. It is the oldest active synagogue among the commonwealth. One of the worlds oldest active synagogues, and the oldest in the commonwealth, can be found in the center of the ports spice district, jew town. Jewish synagogue in mattancherry,kerala jewish synagogue. In 1568, the jews of kerala constructed the paradesi synagogue adjacent to mattancherry palace, cochin, now part of the indian. Kerala, on the southwestern coast of india, is home to seven extant synagogue buildings, of which four are located within the city of kochi formerly cochin. People from places all over india like goa, tamil nadu, and gujarat have come down south and settled in. The paradesi synagogue in cochin, india beit hatfutsot.
Built by prosperous members of the local jewish community, then controllers of a large part of the world spice trade, the synagogue was completed in 1568. The malabari jews or yehudan mappila also known as cochin jews formed a prosperous trading community of kerala, and they controlled a major portion of worldwide spice trade. It is an architectural chef doeuvre of the 16th century illustrating a fine mix of colonial and kerala style of architectures. It is said that the name mattancherry comes from ancherry mattom, a namboodiri illam which the foreign traders then pronounced it as mattancherry, gradually became mattancherry. Book your tickets online for paradesi synagogue, kochi cochin. In 1568, the rajah of cochin, paraja, gave a piece of land to the jewish community next to his palace to build the synagogue. History of the kadavumbagom synagogue, mattancherry. History the jewish synagogue was built in 1568, almost 1500 years after the beginning of the jewish connection with kerala. Mattancherry synagogue at fort kochi, ernakulam kerala. Also known as the paradesi synagogue, it receives several thousand visitors every year from all over the world. With highrise development restricted to ernakulam, across the water, the old fashioned character of mattancherry and near by fort cochin remains intact.
The district is a particularly historic reminder of fort cochins multicultural heritage. The synagogue was built on a land gifted to the malabari yehuden community cochin jews by kochi rajas. A return to the motherland from the promised land 450 years of mattancherry synagogue and return of jews from israel. International tourism police museum at mattancherry. Though keralas early jewish houses of prayer from the tenth through fifteenth centuries perished as a consequence of natural disasters, attacks by the moors, and shifting congregations, including a synagogue authenticated to 44 by a surviving inscription, those.
Mattancherry assembly constituency is part of ernakulam lok sabha constituency. This place has four buildings, built next to the mattancherry palace temple. Several jews went to israel in the 60s and worship at the synagogue almost stopped. Mattancherry kochi cochin 2020 what to know before. It is the only one of the seven synagogues in the area that is still in use. The decorative work is thought to have been completed in the 17th century. Sarah cohen, 95, one of five remaining paradesi jews in mattancherry, cochin, in her bedroom. The jew from cochin says the ways we have crossedkerala jewish, nevatimdona philip inchikalayil duration. Built in 1568,this synagogue attracts numerous visitors to this day. Book your tickets online for mattancherry, kochi cochin. It is also referred to as the mattancherry synagogue. Both fort kochi and mattanchery hold a very important place in the books of history. Part of the structure is a carved ceiling of great beauty featuring various motifs. Also known as the paradesi synagogue, it receives several.
It is constructed in 1568 by cochin jewish community who mainly migrated from middle east and europe. Jewish synagogue paradesi synagogue is also known as the mattancherry synagogue. Waronker the oldest synagogues belong to the cochin jews of kerala in southwestern india. Paradesi synagogue, oldest synagogue in india, located in kochi formerly cochin, kerala state. Mattancherry synagogue, paradesi synagogue, oldest. Visit paradesi synagogue on your trip to kochi cochin or. Mattancherry comprises the western part of cochin just 9 km from the town of ernakulam. The synagogue still preserves the old testament and the ancient copper plates that. The original synagogue was built in the 4th century in kodungallur and later when the jews moved to cochin in the 14th century they built this synagogue. Best known is the paradesi synagogue, which was the.
Every morning, she enjoys a range of kerala and jewish dishes dosa, idli, challah bread and then spends the majority of her day sitting by the window, singing prayers and peoplewatching. Around the same time, the kadavumbhagom synagogue was restored and reopened. A local source refers to a synagogue built here as early as 1200, ruined, and then rebuilt by mudaliyar jewish community leader baruch levi in 1539. The jewish synagogue located in mattancherry costs just rs. History of this synagogue is the history of mattancherry. It is heartening to note that for the 450th anniversary celebration of the still active paradesi synagogue in jew town, mattancherry and for the torah welcoming ceremony post revival of the centuriesold kadavumbhagom synagogue, ernakulam, last december. During those days, cochin city of kerala witnessed successive waves of migration by the arabs, british, chinese, dutch, and portuguese, who came here.
Mattancherry was the first trade hub of the present district. It is the oldest synagogue built in the former british empire and the only synagogue in use today out of the seven synagogues built in the jew town. The synagogue sits at the center of the district once inhabited by fort cochins prosperous spice trading community of malabari jews, who. However, the kochangadi synagogue functioned until the late 1780s or early 1790s, when it was destroyed by tipu sulta n. The pulpit in the middle of the hall signifies the rich heritage of a not so long ago established prayer centre. The early history of the kadavumbagam synagogue is unclear. Based in fort kochi, about 10 km away from ernakulam, the jewish synagogue was built in the year 1568. The area is full of shops attracting tourists hunting for mementoes to carry back home. This stock photo of india, cochin, jewish synagogue, mattancherry, alamy images number a98c18, is available for licensing through alamy images for commercial and editorial uses including websites, books, magazines, brochures and advertising. The synagogue was built on a land gifted to the malabari yehuden community by raja varma, the then, raja of kochi and shares a common wall with the famous mattancherry. Located in jew town in mattancherry area of kochi city, it is also known as paradesi synagogue and mattancherry synagogue. Mattancherry is a locality in the city of kochi, india.
Jewish synagogue jewish synagogue cochin, paradesi. Visit paradesi synagogue, the oldest active synagogue in all the 53 countries of the commonwealth of nations. Within an area small enough to cover on foot,bycle or autorickshaw, glimpses of kochis variegated history greet you at virtually every turn. A fabulous exhibit here is the teak wood interior strucuture of the k adavumbhagom synagogue, located at the south end of synagogue lane in jew town, mattancherry cochin. It is built close to the mattancherry palace temple on the land gifted by.
In many ancient scriptures and history books based on kochi, one finds that ancient travelers and tradesmen frequented the city from time immemorial including the arabs, british, chinese, dutch, and portuguese, who came here mainly for the purpose of trade have left indelible marks on the history and development of cochin. The mattancherry synagogue is one of the newest of the cochin jewsthey had synagogues in kodungaloor a long, long time ago called kadavumbagam and thekumbagam, before a series of tragedies and wars forced them to settle in mala, paravur, chennamangalam, ernakulam and cochin. The synagogue was built in 1568 by the citys prosperous jewish trading community, originally consisting of sephardic jews who had been. Mattancherry palace, also called dutch palace, is located in mattancherry, on the banks of the backwaters of kochi erstwhile cochin in kerala, india. The oldest synagogue in the commonwealth, it was built in 1568. Another narrative indicates that the synagogue was established in 1, and its name was taken from a synagogue that existed in cranganore. The road that it was built on came to be known as jew street or synagogue lane, and the surrounding neighborhood as jew town. The kadavumbhagom synagogue in mattancherry was built by the malabari jews in ad 1549. The paradesi synagogue is the oldest active synagogue in the commonwealth of nations, located in kochi, kerala, in south india mattancherry synagogue constructed in 1567, it is one of seven synagogues of the malabar yehudan or yehudan mappila. The paradsei version can be summarized from the words of late s. Mattancherry is a part of ernakulam district in kerala, india. The paradesi synagogue, in a corner of jew town, is more than a hundred years old and houses many rare antiques. The paradesi synagogue in mattancherry celebrated its.
Clad in a silk maxi dress, her head covered with a green scarf, 94yearold sarah cohen was wheeled into the paradesi synagogue in jew town in kochis mattancherry on december 6. The dutch then carried out some extensions and renovations in 1663, and since then the palace was popularly known as the dutch palace. The paradesi synagogue had three classes of members including white jews, black jews and meshuchrarim. In the early 21st century it was the communitys only active synagogue in india.
Paradesi synagogue tour, paradesi synagogue hours and visit. Mattancherry palace, kochi dutch palace timings, entry. The place shares its wall with the mattancherry palace from where it. The mattancherry palace is a portuguese palace popularly known. Jewish synagogue timings, opening time, entry timings. For jewish history in particular, the history of the remote community in the cochin region shows how traditions could be maintained at long reach from jewish population centers. Cochin jewish synagogue, kochi timings, history, pooja. Once destroyed during incessant portuguese shelling, the mattancherry synagogue is among the most historically relevant locations in fort kochi. Also referred to as cochin jewish synagogue or the mattancherry synagogue it was constructed in 1567. Mattancherry synagogue mattancherry synagogue timings.
For instance, jewish womens songs in the local malayalam language handed down from generation to generation in handwritten notebooks offer details about life before. Mattancherry in kochi is most known for the oldest synagogue in the commonwealth, the paradesi synagogue. The synagogue is located in the quarter of old cochin known as jew town and is the only one of the 7 synagogues in the area that is still in use. The jewish synagogue is located in what is today known as the jew town in the kochi city of kerala. The portuguese influence was further supplanted by the dutch, who took over mattancherry in 1663.
Mattancherry project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. According to jewish traditions mostly malabari, the kadavumbagam synagogue was built after their first synagogue in cochin, the kochangadi synagogue est. Mattancherry is home to the paradesi synagogue, indias oldest functioning synagogue, mattancherry palace museum, mattacherry pazhayannur royal temple. The worldrenowned paradesi syngagogue, first built in 1568 and reconstructed in part and enlarged over the years, can be found in the mattancherry area of kochi.
The synagogue is located in mattancherry near fort kochi. In many ancient scriptures and history books based on kochi, one will find that the ancient travelers and tradesmen who came to the city referred to it as cochym, cochin, cochi and even cocym. The mattancherry jetty and bus stand are behind the palace. The synagogue has been in a dilapidated condition since the 1990s. India, cochin, jewish synagogue, mattancherry david. The paradesi synagogue is the oldest active synagogue in the commonwealth of nations, located in kochi, kerala, in south india mattancherry synagogue constructed in 1567, it is one of seven synagogues of the malabar yehudan or yehudan mappila people or cochin jewish.
It adds to the areas quaint charm and is a great symbol. Jewish synagogue cochin, kerala among all the common wealth countries of the world, the jewish synagogue, kochi is the oldest existing synagogue. The mattancherry palace temple and the mattancherry synagogue share a common wall. It is hundred years old synagogue that houses a plenty of rare antiques. Although this synagogue is located close to the paradesi synagogue, it underwent constant neglect and much alteration over the decades after the jewish congregation left for israel in ad 1955. Of these four, two can be found in the mattancherry area in jew town on synagogue lane. The mattancherry palace was originally built by the portuguese who later gifted it to the king of cochin in 1555. Paradesi synagogue kochi jew synagogue mattancherry. Paradesi synagogue tourist attractions at mattancherry. In december last year, the 450anniversary celebration of the paradesi synagogue in mattancherry, the oldest active in the commonwealth of nations, had nearly 200 cochin jews visit kerala. It was built adjacent to the mattancherry palace temple. The jewish synagogue, built in jew town in 1568 by the malabar yehudans or cochin jewish community, is a place of worship which attracts numerous visitors every year because of its impressive furnishings.
It around km from ernakulam town, and one can reach the synagogue via the ferry or by road from the town. Paradesi synagogue synagogue, kochi, india britannica. The kadavumbhagam synagogue is believed to have been built in 1550 ad. Situated in between the mattancherry palace and the paradesi synagogue is the pazhayannur bhagavathy temple, the ancestral deity or paradevata of the cochin royal family. Paradesi synagogue, nestled in the quaint part of kochi the jew town. It was destroyed by the portuguese in 1662 and was rebuilt later after two years by the dutch.