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Tuesday 31 March 2020

FORMER PARADESI JEWISH BUNGALOWS

The Paradesi Jews of Kerala, especially the Koder and Hallegua families were influential and wealthy. They owned large estates and acres of land in central and southern districts of Kerala. Some of their palatial residences still exist, but are converted into boutique hotels, art cafes, private houses (non-Jewish) and even a hospital! In the upcoming posts, I will be discussing about six such residences, whose Jewish connection is not much known to the common public.

1) JEWISH BUNGALOW IN VETTACKAL, ALAPUZHA (CURRENT PRIMARY HEALTH CENTRE OF VETTACKAL)

Let me start with perhaps the least known Paradesi Jewish Bungalow in Kerala. The monument is not located in any of the traditional Jewish settlements of Kerala (Cochin, Ernakulam, Mala, Chendamangalam or Parur), but in a small coastal village in Alapuzha district called Vettackal, 30 km south of Kochi (Cochin). The Jewish angle of Vettackal is far the most least heard off, but it is located only 7 km from Muttom, a former Jewish settlement. Today, there is nothing Jewish in Muttom, but a Jewish colony functioned there until mid-19th century, or a little before that. The Paradesi Jewish connection to Vettackal is associated with the vast amount of land they had in the area. The Rajah of Cochin is said to be responsible for bringing Jewish families of Mattancherry to Vettackal. The history of Vettackal and Jews of Mattancherry are closely linked. The name Vettackal itself is owed to this Jewish connection and interesting proposals suggested for the etymology of the word are: 1) Vetti (=cut down) as Jews reclaimed the land by cutting down and cleaning the vegetation; 2) Vettam (=light)-from the light provided by Jews to the royal wedding ceremonies and the King allotted Vettackal as a reward; or 3) from a combination of both words, thus, the land was brought to light (Vettam) by cutting down (Vetti) and cleaning the area by Jews. 

Saturday 28 March 2020

2) KODER HOUSE OF FORT KOCHI

Photo: August, 2015
The most famous Jewish Bungalow in Kerala is undoubtedly the Koder House of Fort Kochi. The distinctive red bricked 3-storied grand residence of late S. S. Koder (1907-1994) is today a boutique hotel known by the same name. Menorah, a multi-cuisine restaurant at the hotel serves Jewish delicacies on special order, advertises itself as 'the only restaurant in India to serve Jewish food' and lures the guests by a catchy line, 'You can dine in the Historical Building which had been a host to Presidents, Prime Ministers, Viceroys, Ambassadors, Nobel Laureates, Hollywood Directors and other prominent dignitaries'! The Tourism Department of Kerala describes Koder House as 'a supreme example of the transition from colonial to Indo-European architecture'. 

Unlike many hearsay statements floating around in online sites, the Koder house was not built in 1808 by Jewish merchant Samuel S. Koder, the patriarch of the prominent Koder family. As a matter of fact, he was not even born at that time! However, it is true that Samuel S. Koder (1864/68-1941), the father of S. S. Koder, bought the house from a non-Jewish owner or organization in 1905 and significantly remodelled the structure into the current form. In the opinion of Queenie Hallegua, the daughter of S. S. Koder, the house was bought from a Portuguese owner by her grandfather (Samuel Koder) between 1910-1915, and it was demolished to build the Koder House by a gentleman named Cohen. Anyway, it is generally assumed that the building was originally constructed as a Portuguese style mansion in the 1800s. There is also saying that Samuel Koder constructed the house across three floors-one for each of his sons (Elias, Shabdai (S.S. Koder) and Cecil), and the Portuguese style building was structured and gabled in Europe, and then shipped to Cochin. In Jewish hands, Koder house hosted many prominent dignitaries including ambassadors and celebrities or heads of state. Their Friday night "open house" dinners were very popular when the Koders were around, for more details see this interesting article. The lower floor of the house functioned as a departmental store for some time, the Koders had multiple such stores in different parts of Kerala. The Koder House was later sold to a non-Jewish buyer by Queenie Koder, ending a long chapter and a century-old Jewish connection to the building. Nevertheless, the new owners are careful in preserving the Jewish heritage and traditions of the site. Since 2006, every December, the Koder House celebrates Hanukkah, the 8-day Jewish festival of lights by lighting the traditional menorah (lamp). Photographs and portraits of S. S. Koder are well preserved and kept on the ground floor.

Friday 27 March 2020

3) LILY KODER HOUSE & THE HANGING BRIDGE OF FORT KOCHI

Photo: November, 2019
Another Jewish mansion, formerly owned by the Koders is the current luxury hotel Forte Kochi. Located on the popular Princess Street in the center of Fort Kochi, it was originally the house of Lily Koder, spinster and sister of S. S. Koder. Before the 'Paul John Resorts & Hotel Group' started Forte Kochi recently, it was a different heritage hotel by the name Spice Fort, maintained by the Dune Eco Group. The hotel offers 27 luxury colonial-style rooms and assures all the modern luxury amenities. Their official website says, "Originally built by the Portuguese, the mansion presents a medley of Portuguese, Dutch and British influences and was converted to a magnificent home in the late 1800s. This ancient structure was once part of the palatial home of an eminent Jew family". More reliable accounts estimate that the Jewish ownership and recasting of the building occurred only in the early 1900s. 

Wednesday 25 March 2020

4) DAVID HALL OF FORT KOCHI

Built in 17th century by the Dutch East India Company, 'David Hall' is considered the residence of the Dutch governor, Hendrick Adrian Van Rheede whose 12-volume (with 794 copper plate engravings), the Hortus Malabaricus is a pioneering study on the flora of Kerala published from 1678 to 1693. The exact date of David Hall's establishment is not known, but dates 1665 and 1695 have been proposed. Similarly, there is an opinion that the Hortus Malabaricus was written from this site. According to official website of David Hall, "The Dutch East India Company is believed to have erected three houses sometime between the late 1670s and 1690s using some of the material from demolished churches (i.e. Portuguese), and David Hall is what remains of the three houses. What purpose the structure served is not known today, though historical hearsay suggests it could have been the residence of Van Rheede or a military hospice for Dutch soldiers". However, the building gets its name from one of its later occupants, commonly identified as a Jewish businessman called David Koder. The fact, though, is that there is no person by the name David Koder! It is true that a Jewish family lived in the house, but not the Koders, instead the house was occupied by a David family. The crucial information is obtained from the sale deed of David Hall. The credit goes to 'TheLifeSutras' by Lakshmi Sreekanth, who provided these details and has a an informative video uploaded hereThe sale deed executed on 30th November 1988 clearly specifies that the last Jewish owner of David Hall was Glady's Koder, the wife of S. S. Koder (d. 1994) and daughter of Elias David David (d. 1958). Thus, in a way, David Hall belonged to the Koders, but the David here is the family name of S. S. Koder's father in law. 

Tuesday 24 March 2020

5) 'SHADY VILLA' or 'KODER VILLA' of ALUVA

The Koders and Halleguas had their holiday homes in Aluva (old Alwaye), 30 km north of Cochin on the banks of Periyar River. Located less than a km from the historic 'Aluva Palace' of the Travancore Raja, was a cluster of three Jewish bungalows. Aluva Palace, built in 1901, also on the Periyar shore, was the summer destination of the Royal family, but today it functions as a Government Guest House. Shalva Weil (2009) discusses in detail about these summer resorts in an article entitled, "The Place of Alwaye in Modern Cochin Jewish History", and notices: "Every year after the festival of Passover, when the monsoons were already threatening and many offices were on holiday for a month, the Paradesi community shifted temporarily lock, stock and barrel to the quieter and cooler environs of the summer resort". The most impressive bungalow was the one owned by the Koders, known as "Shady Villa". It was "a big one with a veranda, with mango trees and jackfruit trees all around" says Ruby Daniel (1995). Presently, the former Jewish Bungalow is owned by a Muslim, a Medical Doctor by profession. I understand it has been substantially modified, but the tree filled front courtyard and perhaps a section of the house facing away from the water, remain close to the original. According to Ruby, there were 32 steps from the Shady Villa directly to the river accessed privately. The other two houses that belonged to the Halleguas are beyond recognition and I believe they are completely replaced with modern residences. Today, the former Koder Villa stands on the banks of Periyar (near Aluva Metro Station, see Map), whose front view is fully blocked by a large bill board and thick vegetation. It is the nearest house to the old (1940) three-arched Marthanda Varma Bridge overlooking the famous Aluva Manappuram. The Koders even had a street named after them in Aluva and what is more interesting is that the name still survives in the region as "Koder Lane".

Monday 23 March 2020

6) KRATHI VEEDU OR HALLEGUA HOUSE OF MATTANCHERRY

Photo: September, 2019
Anyone who has been to the Paradesi Synagogue will pass in front of this 18th century traditional Jewish house with yellow walls, grey windows and a tall door. The vintage home built in the Dutch architectural style with a steep gabled clay tile roof has the date “1761” inscribed on the top of the front door. The house, opposite to the Post Office building, sits on a T-junction in the Jew Town of Mattancherry which splits off to the right (north) to Paradesi synagogue; to the left (south) to the Kadavumbhagom Synagogue and Kochangady region; and to the east to Mattancherry Boat Jetty area. In fact, the famous ‘Synagogue Lane’ of Mattancherry starts from this particular Jewish house and extends till the Paradesi Synagogue. The home belonged to Joseph E. Hallegua (1922-2012) who was fondly called “Johnny” by his community. His wife Juliette and daughter Yael were the last Jewish residents of “Hallegua House” and as far as I understand they have migrated to Israel on 2019 and the house was sold to a non-Jewish buyer. An article that has appeared in the Hindu Newspaper (April, 2019) has more details and photographs here. According to the column, the house is known as “Krathi Veedu”, the Halleguas hosted parties for Jewish festivals such as Succoth (Feast of Tabernacles) and Simchat Torah (rejoicing of/with Torah scrolls) from here. Also, every Paradesi Bridegroom left for their wedding from the Hallegua House. It is said that Krathi Veedu will be converted into a museum, so let’s hope we will hear more about that in near future.

Saturday 21 March 2020

CHAKKAMPARAMBU-A JEWISH CEMETERY IN KODUNGALLUR?

In February, 2017, my search for the Joothakkulam (Jew Pond) ended at Kunnamkulam in the west Methala region of Kodungallur. Joothakkulam is the sole relic left from the lost Jewish settlement of Kodungallur (Crangannore), the legendary site of Shingly which supposedly became extinct in 16th century AD. There is also a Joothakunnu (Jew Hill) associated with the Joothakkulam, but the hill has been flattened out and do not exist anymore. I have discussed in detail about Shingly and its Jewish significance here. Not everyone agrees with a Jewish Kingdom in Shingly and they consider its antiquity from first century as a myth invented by the Paradesi Jews to promote their superiority over the Malabari Jews, but I don't think even the strongest critic would have serious objections in accepting the existence of a Jewish settlement at Kodungallur during the Middle Ages. The existence of a still surviving pond named after Jews in Kodungallur or the ritual of using soil from the region for Jewish funeral rites could be an indication that there are some shreds of truth in these legends.

Wednesday 18 March 2020

MALA -A MODEL TOWN FOR RELIGIOUS HARMONY

So far we discussed about the Jewish monuments of Mala and their current status. However, Mala is not just about its Jewish heritage alone, the multi-religious culture and scenic beauty of the region are admirable. In a radius of one km, Mala has a synagogue (Jewish), a church (Christian), a temple (Hindu) and a mosque (Muslim), a unique feature very few sites in the world can boast about. In this context, a special mention should be made to the village of Chendamangalam in Kerala where also worshiping centers of Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Hinduism exist within a short distance of each other. The major religious structures in Mala town are the Synagogue at the center, St. Stanislaus Forane Church at the north, Muhiyudheen Juma Masjid at the south  and Mukunda  Krishna Swamy Temple at the north-east directions. Suppose you measure the walking distance from Mala synagogue  to these monuments  using Google Map, the Masjid comes the nearest (180m) followed by the Church (350m) and the Temple (650m). Surprisingly, the distances are also identical in Chendamangalam when the Synagogue is used a central point to measure the distance to Juma Masjid-Kottayil Kovilakom (200m), Holy Cross Syro Malabar Catholic Church (350m) and Sree Krishna Swamy Hindu Temple (600m), but the settlements are older than Mala. The close coexistence of Mala`s religious centers is an ideal example of the multicultural harmony of the town. Historically, the gateway to Mala was through Malakadavu, the ferry slip which connected the town to  the backwater system of Kerala and through that to the prominent trade centers. The following map will give you a better idea of the location of these sites in Mala. 

Wednesday 11 March 2020

THE LOST TOMBS OF MALA JEWISH CEMETERY

Traditionally, Mala had a Jewish population from the late 10th century onwards, but the first documented evidence to support a Jewish presence in the town is only from 1786 in the Hebrew letter of Ezekiel Rahabi, who estimates 50 families and one synagogue in the area. At the time of aliyah to Israel in 1950s, Mala's Jewish population was at the peak and the highest estimate puts their numbers to 300 distributed in about 50 families. Let us suppose that Mala had a Jewish presence from 18th century only, and even if we take into account of their minuscule number during late 18th to mid 19th century, there should still be around a thousand Jews who lived, died and were buried on the grounds of Mala cemetery. The irony being that, despite having the largest Jewish cemetery in India, the 4-acre Mala graveyard has only three tombs today! Where have all the graves gone? How many tombs were there at the time of transfer of the cemetery in 1955? I have come across various estimates, mostly online Malayalam articles and sites that have put forward their numbers from 20, 30, 34, 35, 40, 50 and 60. I don't know how these specific numbers are arrived, my own personal interactions with people in Mala who were old enough to remember the time of Jews, fail to recollect more than three tombs! 

Photo 1) Mala Jewish Cemetery in 1968. Photo Courtesy: Rabbi Bernard W. Kimmel, published in the 1968 volume of 'B'nai B'rith Messenger'. The tomb positions are marked 1 and 2.

Tuesday 3 March 2020

THE SURVIVING TOMBS OF MALA JEWISH CEMETERY

Photos: August, 2015

There are only three tombs left in Mala Jewish cemetery and they are located in the 1.5-acre western half of the cemetery (see map here. 1, 2 and 3 in the map are the position of the tombs). The tombs are relatively well preserved, but one of the epitaph is not legible. The largest tomb (1) which unfortunately has the indecipherable tombstone is positioned around the middle of the western section of the cemetery. The other two tombs are located near the partition wall segregating the western and eastern parts of the cemetery. The middle tomb (2) has the best preserved epitaph with nicely engraved Hebrew inscriptions on a good quality marble slab. The easternmost tomb (3) has a grave marker (probably in cement base) with legible Hebrew inscriptions but the craftsmanship is average when compared to the second tomb. I have included photographs from my earlier visits as well since some of the inscriptions are more clear in old photographs.

INTRODUCTION

The monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam arrived India much before they reached the West. For instance, it is widely believed that Christianity reached the subcontinent only after Portuguese, the first European colonists arrived India in the 15th century. However, long before Christianity reached many parts of Europe, it came to India. According to strong, continuous and unanimous traditions among the ancient Syrian Christians of Kerala, Christianity was introduced to India by St: Thomas, the Apostle of Jesus Christ in 52 AD, who established seven churches in Kerala. Contrary to popular belief that Islam came to India through the 11th century Muslim invasions in the northern parts of the country, it first arrived Kerala via the Arab merchants from 7th century onwards at the earliest. Similarly, Judaism the oldest continuously practiced monotheistic religion has an Indian presence from very early times. If traditional accounts are to be accepted,India had a Jewish colony from the time of King Solomon (10th century BC)! Most importantly, all the three religions trace their arrival in India to the Malabar region of Southern India which is currently the modern State of Kerala. Since ancient times Kerala has been the center of the Indian spice trade where Greeks, Romans, Jews, Arabs and Chinese came for grabbing their part of share. To be specific, the first Jewish, Christian and Islamic settlements of India claim their origin to a place called Cranganore (modern Kodungallur) in Kerala.

Much has been written on Indian Jews, their unique culture and traditions. Among the three major Jewish communities in India, the “Kerala Jews” popularly known as“Cochin Jews” are the most ancient followed by the “Bene Israel” of Maharashtra and the “Baghdadi Jews” of West Bengal. Recently two more communities have claimed Jewish ancestry viz. “Bene Menasheh” (1970s) from North East India and “Bene Ephraim or Telugu Jews” (1980s) from Andhra Pradesh. A small population of Jews had migrated to India during the Mughal, Portuguese, Dutch, French and British rule as well. Perhaps the Jewish refugees from Hitler’s Anti-Semitic Europe were the last Jews to arrive India. In other words, Jews weren’t a single emigration to India. At different times they arrived and settled peacefully in India where they never experienced any anti-Semitism from the native Indian community. Although Jews supposedly reached Kerala as early as 1st century AD, there were many different waves of emigrations later as well. Gradually, Jews of Kerala became organized into three distinct groups, but the different communities interacted very less among themselves. 1) Malabari Jews: the largest and most ancient group considered to have arrived in India as merchants during the period of King Solomon (1000 BC). 2). ‘Paradesi’ (foreigner) Jews: the second largest and recent group (from 16th century onwards) who migrated mainly from Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Spain and Germany. 3). ‘Meshuhararim’ (released): the smallest group believed to be the slaves held by both Malabari and Paradesi communities who were converted to Judaism and later on released from their status as slaves. The Malabari Jews were called the ‘Black Jews’, the Meshuhararim-the ‘Brown Jews’ and the ‘Paradesi’-the ‘White Jews’-terms considered derogatory and racist today. The arguments on who came first and who are more pure were often fought vehemently and each sect defended their claims. The Jewish population of Kerala numbered 2,400 at the height of their “mass” emigration to Israel in 1954. Today (2011), less than 40 Jews remain in Kerala-9 Paradesi Jews comprising of 6 women and 3 men; and less than 30 Malabari Jews.

In a strong caste-based Indian society, fair skinned Paradesi Jews managed to win a privileged position although they were a minority and newly arrived. Their European background, influence and wealth managed to push the majority of relatively poor Malabar Jews into an inferior position in colonial India. Unfortunately, even today for many in the west and to a great extent in India too, the existence of Kerala’s ancient Malabari Jewish community and their heritage is far unknown. The famous Paradesi Synagogue in Cochin is perhaps the only monument that comes into the mind of many as far as Judaism in Kerala is concerned. Often mistakenly acclaimed to be the oldest (built 1568) synagogue in British Commonwealth, the Paradesi Synagogue however, is the only functional one in Kerala today (2011). Did the Jewish community of Kerala leave anything more than this famed synagogue? The answer is a big yes. Judaism in Kerala is not only about the Paradesi Jews of Cochin and their synagogue in Mattanchery. In fact, the Malabari Jews have seven synagogues and six cemeteries, and several aretfacts and monuments that are also part of Kerala’s rich Jewish heritage! This does not include the few existing Jewish homes and the many earlier Jewish residences converted into non-Jewish owned business buildings and private villas.

This blog will be an attempt to help people both inside and outside India to locate and learn about the known Jewish monuments of Kerala, that include synagogues, cemeteries and former Jewish residences. It will be equally pictorial and textual in format. One of the objectives of this blog is to help people in identifying all known Jewish monuments of Kerala through maps and photographs. Their left out synagogues and cemeteries are the physical landmarks that still stand in testimony to the vibrant and glorious heritage of Jews who claim at least 2000 years of strong and continuous bond with India. The big question is about the accessibility and identification of these monuments. Some of the cemeteries for example are so overgrown with weeds and turned into garbage dumping yards that even the locals have no clue about their existence. Most of the sites have no sign boards or maps available to pin point their exact location. The information from internet and other sources are also limited or at times misinformed when locating the monuments are concerned. I will try to get as many photographs as needed to help people understand these monuments and the blog will not be confined to the heritage of Paradesi Jews alone. For those synagogues that are disputed properties or lie in ruined state and are not accessible for the public I will only add photographs of the exterior. Some of the original Jewish artifacts from Kerala are preserved in Israel and what left here are the duplicates. In such cases, I will trace and append online links having the original photographs. Regarding the dates associated with the history of ‘Kerala Jews’, I have tried to incorporate the most popular views and need not always be the scholarly accepted ones. I shall be much glad if any one can contribute or provide details of additional monuments, sites or artifacts you think can be classified as part of Jewish heritage of Kerala.

Being also a photoblog, I will be concentrating more on the photographs taken from various Jewish monuments in Kerala. Not many sites are available online that go deep into the structural and historic details of these heritage units with photographs. However, we are lucky to have a few very enlightening resources. The“Friends of Kerala Synagogues 2011”(Prof. Jay A. Waronker, USA; Prof. Shalva Weil, Israel; Marian Scheuer Sofaer, USA; Isaac Sam, India and Tirza Muttath Lavi, Israel) maintain an excellent site on the synagogues of Kerala. I strongly recommend anyone interested in ‘Jewish synagogues of Kerala’ to go through their highly informative links. Whenever, I refer to their site, it will be acknowledged as ‘www.cochinsyn.com’. The other very important site I recommend is the beautiful photo collection by Jono David in his Ha Chayim Ha Yehudim Jewish Photo Library’. He has photographs from many Jewish monuments of India. Although he has got wrong one of the synagogues (Mattancherry Kadavumbagam Synagogue) the site has largely helped me to identify the Jewish cemeteries in Kerala.

JEWISH MONUMENTS & ARTIFACTS OF KERALA

The most important Jewish heritage structures in Kerala are the synagogues (Juda Palli in Malayalam), cemeteries and residences.

A. Synagogues

Today, there are 35 synagogues in India and 7 of them are in Kerala. The architectural style of Kerala synagogues differs from those in the west. These synagogues are strongly influenced from earlier Hindu religious buildings on its design and construction. They are characterized by high slope roofs, thick laterite-stoned walls, large windows and doors, balcony and wood-carved ceilings. A Kerala synagogue consists of a ‘Gate House’ at the entrance that leads through a Breezeway to the Synagogue Complex. The synagogue complex is made of a fully enclosed Azara or Anteroom and a double-storeyed sanctuary-the main prayer hall. Inside a typical double-storeyed sanctuary of a ‘Kerala Synagogue’ are:

1) A Tebah/Bimah: Located at the center of the sanctuary, Tebah is usually an elevated wooden platform or pulpit from which Torah, the holy book of Jews is read. 2) A Heichal (Ark): Represents the altar. It is a chest or cupboard in the synagogue where the Torah scrolls are kept. It is usually carved intricately and painted/gilded with teak wood. Unlike in the European Synagogues, where the ark is placed on the eastern wall, the synagogues in Kerala have the arks on the western wall facing Jerusalem. 3) A Balcony/Second Tebah: It is unique to the synagogues of Kerala. The balcony has two portions one for men and the other for ladies. Women’s seating area is placed directly above the azara. 4) A Staircase: Leads to the balcony and is generally spiral in shape and made of wood. At times there are two staircases, one for men from the main hall inside the synagogue and the other for the ladies from a staircase room outside the synagogue; 5) A Jewish School: Is actually a classroom for Jewish children usually located behind the women’s section on the first floor.

B. Cemeteries

Resting place of ancestors means a lot to the Jewish community. Sometimes they even carried tombstones from their old settlements while migrating to a newer place. The oldest Jewish tomb in India (dated 1269 AD) preserved in front of Chendamangalam synagogue is one such transferred from Kodungallur. Unlike Christian tombs in Kerala with Malayalam and English engravings, the Jewish graves have mostly Hebrew inscriptions. The Jewish year can be converted into modern Gregorian date if one can read the Hebrew letters. ‘Reading Hebrew Tombstones’ is an interesting site to read the Jewish tombs.

C. Jewish Residences

Today, most of the early Jewish homes sold to non-Jews are substantially modified or refurbished. However, there are a few features that still make them identifiable. Sometimes you can trace Jewish symbols like Menorah (candlestick) and Magen David (Star of David) on the walls, windows and roof tops. For example, a few residences in Mattancherry still maintain the Star of David (Magen David) despite being converted into shops or warehouses. The best way to locate the home of a residing Jew is to look for the Mezuzah on the door post. Nailed to the doorpost of a Jewish home, Mezuzah is a small container made of wood, plastic or metal having a piece of parchment with the most important words from the Jewish Holy Book, Torah. It is customary among religious Jews to touch the mezuzah on entering or leaving the home. A few homes in the Synagogue Lane of Mattancherry with mezuzah are the residences of the remaining 9 Paradesi Jews.

The Jewish monuments and artifacts I will be discussing in this blog are:

I Synagogues

1. Pardesi Synagogue, Mattancherry (1568)

2. Kadavumbagam Synagogue, Mattancherry (1130 or 1539)

3. Thekkumbagam Synagogue, Mattancherry (1647, only the building site known)

4. Kadavumbagam Synagogue, Ernakulam (1200)

5. Thekkumbagam Synagogue, Ernakulam (1200 or 1580))

6. Paravur Synagogue (750 or 1164 or 1616)

7. Mala Synagogue (1400 or 1597)

8. Chendamangalam Synagogue (1420 or 1614)

(The various speculated dates of establishment in parenthesis are taken from www.cochinsyn.com, coutesy Prof. Jay A. Waronker)

II Cemeteries

1. Pardesi Jewish Cemetery, Mattancherry

2. Malabari Jewish Cemetery, Mattancherry

3. Old Jewish Cemetery, Ernakulam

4. New Jewish Cemetery, Ernakulam

5. Paravur Jewish Cemetery

6. Mala Jewish Cemetery

7. Chendamangalam Jewish Cemetery

III Jew Streets

1. Jew Street Mattancherry (Jewish residences with Mezuzah and Magen David)

2. Jew Steet, Ernakulam (today all shops in non-Jewish hands)

3. Jew Street, Paravur (Twin Pillars)

4. Jew Street, Mala (Gate House and Breezeway of synagogue turned into shops)

5. Jew Street, Chendamangalam (used to be a Jewish Market or Judakambolam)

6. Jew Street, Calicut (identified in July 2011 as Jootha (Jew) Bazar)

IV Other Monuments & Artifacts

1. Tomb of Sarah (1269 AD), Chendamangalam

2. Kochangadi Synagogue Corner-stone, Mattancherry

3. Jewish Children’s Play Ground, Mattancherry

4. Clock-Tower, Mattancherry

5. Sarah Cohen’s Embroidery Shop, Mattancherry

6. Jew Hill/Judakunnu/Jewish Bazar, Palayur

7. Jew Tank/Judakkulam, Madayi

8. Koder House, Fort Kochi

9. Grand Residencia, Fort Kochi

10. Jewish Summer Resorts, Aluva

11. Jewish Copper Plates, Mattancherry

12. Syrian Copper Plates, Kollam

13. Torah Finial, Palayur

V Lost Jewish Colonies

1. Kodungallur (Thrissur)

2. Palayur (Thrissur)

3. Pullut (Thrissur)

4. Kunnamkulam (Thrissur)

5. Saudhi (Ernakulam)

6. Tir-tur (Ernakulam)

7. Fort Kochi (Ernakulam)

8. Chaliyam (Kozhikode)

5. Pantalayani Kollam (Kozhikode)

9. Thekkepuram (Kozhikkode)

10. Muttam (Alappuzha)

11. Kayamkulam (Alappuzha)

12. Dharmadom (Kannur)

13. Madayi (Kannur)

14. Quilon (Kollam)

15. Pathirikunnu, Krishnagiri (Waynad)

16. Anchuthengu (Thiruvananthapuram)