If you are planning to go for a shore excursion while at Kochi Port, the best destination you can select is Fort Kochi and Mattancherry, where you can explore the many Jewish monuments, that remain as remnants of past. A tour to Jewish monuments at Cochin can take you to Jew Town or Jew Street, where you can explore ancient Jewish buildings, synagogues, and cemeteries. Jew Street will welcome you with the antique shops up and down its sides. The street leads you to the Jewish Monuments of Cochin that are historically important as well as aesthetically beautiful.
One of the prominent Jewish monuments of Cochin is the Jewish Cemetry. There are mainly two Jewish Cemeteries at Cochin. One cemetery is at one end of Jew Street and possesses tombstones inscribed in Malayalam and Hebrew. Another 200-year-old Jewish cemetery is in the middle of the city at Market Road. This is a one-acre plot with 47 tombs. The cemetery is now under renovation work and will be soon a tourist spot.
Other important Jewish monuments of Cochin are Synagogues. The strong presence of the Jewish community in Kerala can be felt in these memorials, where they worshipped God. There are quite a good number of Synagogues in Cochin. They are the best to explore if you are truly interested to know more about the history and culture of the land.
As per the historians, there were 8 Jewish worship centers in the Ernakulam-Cochin area. Among them, four are extinct by now. They are Kochangadi, Soudhi, Fort Kochi and Thekkumbhagom of Mattancherry. Only the Paradesi Synagogue of Mattancherry and the Kadavumbhagom Synagogue of Ernakulam are functional now. The Thekkumbhagom Synagogue of Ernakulam remains as a bare building now. The Kadavumbhagom Synagogue of Mattancherry is next in line to Thekkumbhagom Synagogue and will be empty soon.
If you love to visit Synagogues at your one-day shore excursion, first make a visit to Paradesi Synagogue of Mattancherry, which is also referred to as the Cochin Jewish Synagogue or the Mattancherry Synagogue. The Paradesi Synagogue constructed in 1568 is the oldest active synagogue in the Commonwealth of Nations. The word ‘Paradesi’ stands for “foreigners” and the name depicts the Synagogues is built by Sephardic or Spanish-speaking Jews. Visit the Synagogue can offer you the best experience of walking through the history of Jews in Kerala.
If you have the luxury of time, the nest best Jewish monument of Cochin you can head towards is Kadavumbagam Synagogue. The foundation of the Synagogue was laid in the 1200s. A decrease in the number of the Jewish population in Cochin leads to the closing of Synagogue in the late 20th century. The Synagogue’s interior was reconstructed at Israel, by transporting the entire Torah ark and Bemah. The leftovers of the Synagogue are now under the guardianship of Elias Josephai. The building is open for visitors and is maintained as in the early 17th century.
You will never regret making your shore excursion to visit the Jewish monuments of Cochin.
