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A trip back in time

The Jewish Synagogue in Mattancherry in Kochi is a unique symbol of religious and cultural harmony

IN A DIFFERENT WORLD At the Jewish Synagogue

In God's own country, Kerala, more specifically Kochi, stands one of the most venerated abodes of God — the oldest Jewish synagogue in the Commonwealth of Nations. The synagogue, which has an interesting history behind it, was built in 1568 by the Malabar Yehudans or the Jews adjacent to the Mattancherry Palace on land gifted by Rama Varma, the king of Kochi.

Variously known as the paradesi synagogue because it was built with Dutch patronage (paradesi meaning foreigner) or the Cochin Jewish synagogue or the Mattanchery synagogue, our expedition to the shrine is as interesting as the historic structure itself. Armed with lifejackets, a ride on a speedboat across the Vembanad lake (notwithstanding the heart-stopping moments when the bottom of the boat got entangled in the profuse growth of weeds and the boatman stepping off to fix the problem) and a walk through some bylanes dotted with shops stocking some of the most beautiful antiques and soon we are in what is known as Jew Street in Jew Town in front of the deceptively unpretentious entrance of the synagogue.

Step in and a different world opens up. There is a little anteroom which serves as a kind of museum and has interesting pictures that put together the story of how Kerala began to have a Jewish presence and how the synagogue came to be built here.

There was a lot of bilateral trade between King Solomon's Palestine and the Malabar Coast in 992 B.C.E. Consequent to the attack by the Romans, the Jews dispersed to the four corners of the earth and landed at Cranganore (Kodungallur, about 35 km north of Kochi). The Raja of Cranganore received them, Joseph Rabban was made Prince of Anjuvanam and a Jewish Kingdom was established. Following an attack by the Moors and the Portuguese, Joseph Azar, the last Jewish prince, swam to Kochi with his wife on his shoulder. The couple placed themselves under the protection of the Maharaja of Kochi.

Architecturally too the synagogue has some interesting elements, exquisite blue and white Chinese tile flooring (no footwear is permitted), Belgian chandeliers and an ornate brass railed pulpit engage the visitor's attention in the main hall. The tiles were brought from Canton in China and presented to the synagogue by a rich merchant who also built a clock tower. Interestingly, the scenes depicted on each tile are different.

Being an orthodox synagogue, women are seated in a separate enclosure in a sort of balcony. The Torah (a Hebrew word meaning teaching or instruction or Law) or the five books of Moses (written in Hebrew) in scroll form are preserved here. For Jews, the Torah was traditionally accepted as the literal word of God as told to Moses.

Several crowns received as gifts (including one from the Maharaja of Travancore for the Torah) and the copper plates of privileges given to the earliest Malabar Jewish people over 2,000 years ago by the ruler of the Malabar coast are housed here. If you thought only educational institutions had a dress code, think again. At this synagogue, short trousers, skirts, sleeveless vests, shirts and blouses are not permitted. The shrine is open to visitors from Sundays to Thursdays and it is closed on Fridays, Saturdays and Jewish holidays. Its conservation has benefited from funding by the World Monuments Fund headquartered in New York through its Jewish heritage programme.

SUDHA UMASHANKER

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