THE OLD JEWISH CEMETERY OF MATTANCHERRY IN 1936.

The following rare images of the old Jewish cemetery of Mattancherry from 1936 compared to the current day will give you the extent of damage the site has undergone over the years. The white pointed sepulcher in these photographs below (see yellow encircle) is the famous grave of the 17th century Jewish Kabbalist of Cochin, Nehemiah Motta. All but the grave of  Motta were razed to ground by the mid-20th century. See how widely and densely distributed were the graves in the cemetery before they were obliterated. However, a few tombstones from the extinct graveyard escaped the demolition drive, and they are still hidden in the premises of the houses built over the venue. Earlier, I have discussed in detail about this lost cemetery (here), the grave of Nehemiah Motta (here) and the crudely preserved tombstones (here and here).

The Old Jewish Cemetery of Mattancherry:  December, 1936 vs May, 2024

Grave of Nehemiah Motta

 

A NEW BLOG ON THE 'EUROPEAN FUNERARY MONUMENTS OF KERALA'

You might have noticed that many of the recent posts in this blog are about the European tomb monuments in Kochi (Cochin) and its surrounding locations. However, it should be noted that they are not just confined to the Cochin area, but widely spread throughout Kerala. These sepulchral monuments often go unnoticed by many, are scattered across cemeteries, courtyards and interiors of churches, public and private properties, isolated locations, roadsides etc. Several of the graveyards are so overgrown with vegetation that, it is practically impossible to access and study the headstones. On the other hand, a few of the tombstones are still well-preserved and can be found inside protected monuments like churches, forts, museums etc.

I have decided to start a separate blog for the European funerary monuments in Kerala, partly because they are not directly associated with Kerala's Jewish heritage, and partly because they are still unexplored to a large extent. The upcoming blog will be an attempt to document the known European grave monuments in Kerala that are dated to the Pre-Independence Period (i.e. before 1947). Here is the link to the new blog-"EUROPEAN FUNERARY MONUMENTS OF KERALA". The concerned posts already uploaded in 'Jewish Monuments of Kerala' will be retained, but links to them will be attached to the new blog.

THEKKUMBHAGOM SYNAGOGUE OF ERNAKULAM: A MUCH AWAITED VISIT.

 Thekkumbhagom Synagogue Exterior, North-East Corner

 Thekkumbhagom Synagogue Interior-Main Sanctuary

I have been studying the Jewish heritage monuments of Kerala for some time. During this journey I had the opportunity to visit Kerala's synagogues and Jewish cemeteries on several occasions. However, there is one synagogue that has always remained elusive to me. It is the Thekkumbhagom Synagogue of Ernakulam- of which I have seen only the exterior. This is because the synagogue is closed to the general public and can be accessed only through special arrangement made with the Jewish community. Due to its unusual position crammed inside a heavily congested market area, even getting a view of the exterior is much difficult. Technically, I have also not accessed the Paradesi Jewish Cemetery of Mattancherry and the Jewish Cemetery in Kathrikadavu, Ernakulam. Nevertheless, I have managed to capture images of many grave monuments inside these cemeteries from different angles including aerial positions without even entering the compound, and believe me this is still possible with some extra effort and a little adventure. The one major advantage with cemeteries is that they are open areas, so you can still study tombs from outside, if not all of them. However, a closed synagogue is an entirely different case.

It is true that there are many online resources through which you can explore the Thekkumbhagom synagogue’s interior. However, observing a monument with your own eyes is a special experience that cannot be substituted by any other secondary source. Therefore, I was very excited to be part or a trip which offered such a rare opportunity. I owe my immense gratitude to Kerala Historical Research Society, which organized an ambitious one-day trip to all the Synagogues of Kerala on 4th February, 2024. A big credit goes to Joseph John Keethra and his efficient team for their meticulous planning and hard work. A special thanks to Prof. C. Karmachandran without his contacts the Thekkumbhagom synagogue would not have been accessible to me.

Today, Thekkumbhagom Ernakulam has the largest Jewish sanctuary building in Kerala. Although the current building dates to a period after 1939, the congregation claims 1200 AD as date of their origin in Ernakulam. Interestingly, it is the same date vouched by the adjacent Kadavumbhagom community for their origin in Ernakulam as well. On the other hand, the more scholarly accepted date of establishment for Thekkumbhagom Ernakulam is about four centuries later in 1580 AD only (Sassoon, 1932, p. 1056; Bar Giora, 1958, p. 236; Segal, 1993, p. 31). Having said so, the earliest known historical reference on Thekkumbhagom and Kadavumbhagom synagogues of Ernakulam appears further a century down in the Portuguese report by Moses Pereira de Paiva entitled ‘Noticias dos Judeos de Cochim’, dated 1687. In an earlier post (2012), I have discussed more about the Thekkumbhagom synagogue and the statistics of Ernakulum Jews in general, and uploaded photographs of the syanagogue's exterior. Click the LINK HERE, and follow the ‘older links’ at the end of each post for the photographs taken in 2012. For a short history, see the heritage plaque installed by the ‘Friends of Kerala Synagogues’ near the southern gate (see the photograph below), which by the way is missing now. The signboards with the contact details of the ‘Association of Kerala Jews’ placed at the main entrance of the synagogue is also not seen today (SEE HERE).

A Rare Image of the Joothakulam (Jew Pond) of Kodungallur-mid-1970s

Joothakulam of Kodungallur-1970s

This is a unique image of the Joothakulam (Jew Pond) of Kodungallur captured in mid-1970s, and perhaps the earliest available. It appears in a documentary on Cochin Jews made by ethnomusicologist Dr. Johanna Spector. At the time of my quest for the Joothakulam (February, 2017), the only image I had was a black and white photograph from a book published in 1993 on Cochin Jews by the British scholar, J B Segal. Now, what makes this image special is that it is not only old (i.e. 17 years before Segal's photograph), but it is also in colour. Look for the Kaitha (Pantanus) and Cactus bushes indicated by the yellow arrow heads. Interestingly, remnants of these thorny bushes were still present at the time of my first visit to the site, and was an important clue for the identification of the pond. Don't miss the small group posing for the photograph (yellow encircled area).

For Segal's B&W image and how I traced the site, see here. For the location, legends, history etc. of the Joothakulam(s) of Kodungallur, see here, here and here. For photographs of the Joothakulam taken in 2017 and 2018, see here and here. Details of a speculated Jewish cemetery at Kodungallur with photographs of Joothakulam from 2019 can be seen here. A little out of context, but another Joothakulam of Kerala, which is at Madayi is discussed in detail here. 

Joothakulam of Kodungallur-2017

The Tragic Fate of Maria Evans and Her Daughter-Deciphering the Complete Epitaph of the Tallest Funerary Monument in the Dutch Cemetery of Fort Cochin.

Photograph: 28 September, 2023 (before wetting the tombstone)

If you remember my blog post from a few months ago (see here), where I discussed how the tallest funerary monument in the Dutch Cemetery of Fort Cochin was identified, you might have noticed that only the first 4 lines of inscription was deciphered as the remaining sections were barely visible. More recently, I had the opportunity to access the cemetery once again. This time, using the rainy weather to my advantage, I gently rubbed the tombstone surfaces with wet leaves, just to see if the rest of the inscriptions could be read. It was my day and the outcome didn't disappoint. For the first time the whole epitaph became visible and it is now evident that the inscription consists of 14 lines. Nevertheless, I have to admit that it took me some effort to fully decipher the lines after going back and studying the photographs taken. 

Photograph: 28 September, 2023 (after wetting the tombstone)

The inscriptions refer to the tragic death of young Maria and her infant daughter. It turns out, Maria died at the young age of 23 years after giving birth to her daughter named Louisa. Sadly, the daughter died 5 days after her mother and was apparently buried in the same tomb at Cochin. We also learn from the inscription that the couple had other young children. The headstone gives the fateful year of their death as 1833. However, the inventory of Roberts and Chekkuty (2017, p. 139) has the year 1822. The exact date of deaths of the mother (13 July, 1833) and the daughter (18 July, 1833) can also be verified from the Madras Almanac (1834) and the Asiatic Journal and Monthly Register (1834). These records identity Charles Evans as a Captain of the 51st Regiment of the Native Infantry (NI). In these obituaries, both the mother and the daughter are mentioned, but only Maria is named. The daughter however does not appear in the inventories of Cotton (1905) and Roberts and Chekkutty (2017). We get her name only from the tombstone. This is the advantage of reading epitaphs directly from the site, provided they are available for examination.

To  best of my knowledge, this epitaph has not been published anywhere before. I am therefore giving the full 14-lined inscription on the gravestone below:

1) SACRED

2) To the Memory of MARIA

3) The beloved WIFE of CAPT^A

4) CHA^S EVANS Reg NI who depar

5) ted this life at Cochin on the 13th day of July 1833

6) aged 23 years leaving a disconsolate husband and

7) infant children to bear their irreparable loss

8) Blessed are those who die in the Lord for

9) they shall see the Kingdom of Heaven

10) Sacred to the Memory of Louisa

11) Infant Daughter who

12) died at Cochin on the

13) 18th of July 1833

14) aged 5 days

JOOTHANADAPPU (ജൂതനടപ്പ്), VALLARPADAM: A Less-Known Site with a Jewish Connection?

Joothanadappu

Except for the synagogues and cemeteries, there are only a few extant sites in Kerala with the word 'Jew' attached to their names. The 'Jew Street' in Mattancherry, Ernakulam town and North Paravur; the 'Jew Town' in Mattancherry; the 'Jew Hill' (Joothakunnu) in Palayur and the 'Jew Pond' (Joothakulam) in Madayi belong to this category. The 'Jew Street' of Mala; the 'Jew Bazar Road' (Joothakambolam Road) of Chennamangalam; and the 'Jew Pond' (Joothakulam) of Kodungallur were once sites that had Jewish connotations, but none of the names have survived today.

Therefore, when it was brought to my attention about a place called 'Joothanadappu' or 'Jootha-nadappu' (ജൂതനടപ്പ്), I was very curious to find out it's whereabouts. The site however, is so obscure that it does not even appear in the Google Maps! For starters, Joothanadappu is located in the Vallarpadam Ward (No. 13) of the Mulavukad Grama Panchayath of Ernakulam District, not far from the famous "National Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Ransom" or Vallarpadam Basilica. It is a narrow strip of land or essentially a section of a street that runs on the eastern border of the Vallarpadam Island surrounded by mangrove stretches (Kandal Kadu) and Kochi’s backwaters.

 
The word 'Joothanadappu' is rather difficult to translate as 'nadappu' (നടപ്പ്) can be interpreted differently depending on the context how it is used. Usually, 'nadappu' in Malayalam means 'walk, walking' etc., and Joothanadappu should be read literally as 'Jew Walk'. However, 'nadappu' when combined with other words give a different shade or meaning such as nattunadappu (നാട്ടുനടപ്പ്, country practice), nadappuvarsham (നടപ്പുവർഷ൦, current year), nadappuvasham (നടപ്പുവശ൦, reality), nadappavakasham (നടപ്പവകാശ൦, right of execution), durnadappu (ദുർനടപ്പ്, misbehaviour) etc.

I paid a visit to the site to learn its Jewish connection if there is any. As always, the best way to know about a place is by interacting with the locals, and the people I met all agreed that the name has to do with the Jewish community. Most believe that this is because Jews were buried there or a Jewish settlement existed there. Nevertheless, these claims are mostly local traditions or simple assumptions, without any evidential support. There is, however, an interesting suggestion regarding the origin of the word Joothanadappu, also offered by a local resident, which to me is the best interpretation available so far. According to this version, Joothanadappu was originally known as 'Joothante adappu' (ജൂതൻ്റെ അടപ്പ്) or 'Jootha-adappu' (ജൂത അടപ്പ്), where 'adappu' (അടപ്പ്) refers to a shrimp farm. The backwater areas of Vypin Island including the Mulavukad region are replete with shrimp or prawn farming. The shrimp farms integrated with paddy cultivation known as Pokkali system is still practised to this day. Since shrimp farms are locally known as Chemmeen Adappu/ചെമ്മീൻ അടപ്പ് (also known as Chemmeen Kettu or Chemmeen Vattu), the ones owned by the Jews were called 'Joothante adappu', which became 'Jootha adappu' and eventually 'Jootha nadappu' or 'Joothanadappu' as it is known today. The word 'adappu' in Malayalam literally refers to a 'lid' used to close or cover a container, and in this context it is a 'closed area' made for prawn filtration with the help of bunds and wooden sluices. He also shared an interesting anecdote told of the Jewish women at Mattancherry: when they say 'Joothan adappil poyi'’, it means their husbands went to the adappu or shrimp farm.

A DETAILED SURVEY OF THE EUROPEAN FUNERARY MONUMENTS IN ST. FRANCIS C. S. I. CEMETERY, VELI, FORT KOCHI.

 

Unlike the Dutch cemetery, which most tourists tend to visit, there is another important burial ground in the outskirts of Fort Cochin, which no one pays much attention to. The Veli C. S. I. graveyard is less than 2 km from the Dutch cemetery. Those who have traveled to Fort Cochin from Ernakulam via road using the public transport system, would have noticed this cemetery on the way, but it will appear just like any other Christian graveyards of Kerala. However, very few would realize that the plot was once used as a British cemetery. What is more interesting is that several 19th century European grave monuments still remain preserved on its grounds. In a previous post (see here), I gave an introduction to this cemetery, but at that time I couldn't access the site, and therefore was not in a position to comment on the sepulchers.

An inventory for the Veli cemetery was prepared in the early 20th century by an anonymous individual or organization, made available to us by Roberts and Chekkutty in 2017. The title given is 'Old Protestant Cemetery-1790-1913' and according to them, the first documented burial in the cemetery was in 1790, and it became known as 'The New Church Burial Ground' after 1855. Unfortunately, the authors fail to give the original source on which the inventory is based on, instead they cite a survey of unmarked burials with plot locations derived from old church registers compiled by T W Venn. Strangely, none of Venn's works give such a report or specific survey on Veli cemetery. James Julian Cotton, who has meticulously recorded the burials in Fort Cochin and surroundings-at St Francis Church, Dutch Cemetery and the Streets of Cochin, also did not survey this ground. Same is the case with other well-known studies on the graveyards in Malabar.

The inventory is not perfect as it contains many factual errors, and some of the burials mentioned did not even happen there. The earliest burial noted, Jacob Wendelin Van der Sloot (d. 1739) is a typographical error. The inventory gives the burial details of 4 Van der Sloots and it must be noted that none of them have a gravestone as per the list.

1) Van der Sloot, Clement, died 3 November 1873.
2) Van der Sloot, Hester Amelia, died 17 February 1857, age 71.
3) Van der Sloot, Jacob Wendelen, died 1739, age 60.
4) Van der Sloot, John, died 27 November 1853, age 76.

The Doopboek/Baptismal Register (1751-1804) of St Francis church and the works of T W Venn (1947 and 1950), provide the baptismal records and the burial dates of these individuals, who we also learn are closely related. Thus, 2, 3 and 4 are siblings and 1 is the son of 2. As you can see, in the inventory, the date of death for all the Van der Sloots are given from mid to late 19th century, except for Jacob Wendelin. The Doopboek has Wendelin baptised on 1781, so his death at the age 60 years or precisely 60.5 years according to Venn, (1947, p. 65), should be somewhere around 1840, so the most probable date here is 1839 instead of 1739. This brings us to the second oldest burial recorded in the inventory, named after one David Scale, 1788, age 68. Venn (1947, p. 65) is helpful again in this regard, as he quotes David Scale died at the age of 68 some time between 1829-1842, based on  the Anglican Records (Registers) of St Francis Church which he had access. He gives the name of 12 men who passed away during this period (1829-1842), listed in the ascending chronological order ending with Pieter Winkler (died, 1841). Interestingly, David Scale is 3rd in the list, and Jacob Wendelin Van der Sloot is named 8th, so the former died most probably in the early 1830s. All the remaining burials in the list are from the 19th century onwards, and the earliest without a gravestone is Helena Elstendorp, wife of Pieter Elstendorp, died 4 October 1804; and with a gravestone is for A. Blane, died 6 December 1821-unfortunately both are untraceable today. Despite its shortcomings, the inventory it is still the only resource available to study the funerary monuments in the Veli cemetery.


Recently, on my way to Fort Cochin, I was surprised to find the gate of Veli cemetery opened, which is usually a rare event. I was very lucky to find Rev. Kurian Peter, the Vicar of C. S. I. St Francis Church, Fort Cochin on the site. Needless to say, without his encouragement and kind permission, I could not have accessed this historic venue. I had the freedom to explore the cemetery on my own for about an hour. The burial ground is more well-kept compared to the Dutch cemetery. Nevertheless, not all epitaphs are presentable, I had to put some extra effort to clean the thick layers of mud and leaf litter on a number of graves to read the inscriptions. Anyway, I could manage to conduct a proper survey of the graves without much difficulty. It must be noted that almost all the European tombs here are British, and there are no Portuguese or Dutch grave markers.

According to the Veli inventory, a total of 103 burials occurred in the cemetery, out of which only 66 are recorded having gravestones. I could confirm from other sources and by personal verification that 9 of the burials (7 with- and 2 without- gravestones) happened in the Dutch and not Veli cemetery, and they are:

1. Mary Evans (d. 1822)
2. James Charles Sayer (d. 1822)
3. James Tate (d. 1827)-without gravestone
4. Alexander Allardice (d. 1839)
5. Pieter Winckler (d. 1841)-without gravestone
6. Eliza Jane Allardice (d. 1844)
7. Sarah Georginia Lascelles (d. 1845)
8. Major William Hamilton (d. 1822, the date is 1882 in the headstone)
9. Joseph Ethelbert Winckler (d. 1913).

BRITISH GRAVES IDENTIFIED IN THE DUTCH CEMETERY OF FORT COCHIN (FORT KOCHI)

When one hears about a 'Dutch Cemetery', what comes to mind is a graveyard meant specifically for the Dutch people. Ironically, today, in the 'Dutch Cemetery' of Fort Cochin there are more identifiable British funerary monuments than the Dutch graves. Although, the cemetery began as a Dutch graveyard in 1724, soon after the British conquest of Cochin in 1795, it became the final resting place of the English elite and their family members too. Only after the mid-19th century, the British had a separate cemetery in Cochin. The new British cemetery is in a place just outside Fort Cochin called Veli today. In a previous post, I described about three English graves in the Dutch cemetery. After I had the opportunity to access the graveyard, the whole area was scanned more elaborately. To the best of my knowledge, no studies have been conducted so far to document the current status of British funerary monuments in the Dutch cemetery of Fort Cochin. I have identified a total 12 British funerary monuments inside the cemetery (including the three previously mentioned). In addition, there are two graves that have not been determined as of now, but we know they are British from the rudimentary English inscriptions left over them.  Thus, a total 14 tombs in the Dutch cemetery can be taken as British with certainty. 

British Indian Army Officer and orientalist, Thomas Walters Venn gives a first hand information on the funerary monuments in the Dutch cemetery. Through-out this study, I will be depending heavily on two of his important works on Cochin, published in 1947 and 1950, respectively. The one major drawback of course is that, most of the tombs discussed by Venn lack epitaphs today or the inscriptions on them  are obliterated. Nevertheless, using the vital clues provided by Venn, I am proposing a few more graves in the Dutch cemetery that can be classified as British.

A few interesting notes on the extant, identifiable British graves in the Dutch Cemetery: 

• There are 14 graves in the Dutch cemetery with English inscriptions.
  
• The oldest grave with an English epitaph is for a Dutch woman who married a British Captain, and it is dated 1796.
• The oldest recognizable tomb for an British native is that of a 28 year old Captain, and it is dated 1815.
  
• The youngest buried is a 3 year old girl, who is the daughter of a British Captain.
• The oldest British interred is a Major, aged 82 years. 
• The tallest funerary monument in the Dutch cemetery is also British (see here). 
• The latest identifiable British grave in the cemetery is from 1906. 

 

The 14 identified British graves in the cemetery are as follows:

1.    Maria Elizabeth de Graff (d. 06/1796, Aged 23)

2.    Charles Biddulph (d. 04/1815, Aged 28)

3.    Sarah Wilhelmina Ives (d. 04/1820, Aged 3)

4.    Maria Evans (d. 07/1822, Aged 23)

5.    Arthur Frith (d. 04/1824, Aged 57)

6.    James Tate (d. 03/1827, Aged 75)

7.    Peter Winckler (d. 1842, Aged 78)

8.    Catherine E. Daly (d. 05/1844, Aged 12)

9.    Sarah Lascelles (d. 03/1845, Aged 33)

10.    Montague Ross Taynton (d. 10/1845, Aged 42)

11.    William Hamilton (d. 01/1882, Aged 72 or 82)

12.    Alice Elizabeth (d. 04/1906, Aged 32)

13.    Anonymous 1

14.    Anonymous 2

IDENTIFIABLE DUTCH GRAVES IN THE DUTCH CEMETERY, FORT COCHIN (FORT KOCHI)

In this post, I will upload photographs from the Dutch cemetery of Fort Cochin. The focus will be on the known Dutch graves alone. It has to be remembered, although the cemetery has 104 grave monuments, only 13 Dutch inscriptions have survived (sharedcemeteries.net)! Excluding a few other tombstones with English epitaphs, the majority of the graves remain anonymous as their inscriptions  are lost irrecoverably. In an earlier post, I had discussed in detail about these tombs and their locations inside the cemetery. However, I took all those images outside the boundary walls of the cemetery, as it is generally not open to visitors. For the first time I had the opportunity to access the Dutch cemetery of Fort Cochin. I extend my sincere gratitude to Rev. Kurian Peter, Vicar and Chairman of the St Francis CSI Church, Fort Cochin, for not only giving me the permission to access the cemetery, but also providing complete freedom and time to explore the grave monuments. I was inside the cemetery for about an hour on my own, the only concern was whether the thick vegetation and the dense green carpet of creepers were hiding any poisonous reptiles.

The site sharedcemeteries.net has an excellent series of articles on Dutch monuments inside this cemetery and a map to locate them. Incorporating here are the photographs which I took inside the cemetery. All the known Dutch graves (13 nos) and the close-up views of their corresponding gravestones are included here. I hope readers would now get a better understanding of the Dutch monuments.

The 13 Dutch funerary monuments uploaded in the ascending chronological order (oldest to youngest) are:  

D1) Johan Daimichen (died, 30 August, 1784)
D2) Aletta Augustina Thiel (died, 20 November, 1784)
D3) Jacob Bernard Weinsheimer (died, 1 March, 1790)
D4) Johannes van Blankenberg (died, 2 April, 1794)
D5) Johan Adam Cellarius  (died, 15 June, 1796)
D6) Adriaan Poolvliet (died 10 September, 1799)
D7) C & C (died, 14 October, 1799)
D8) Dorothea Lambertina Zeijsig (died, 10 November, 1800)
D9) Cornelia Elisabeth Vogt (died, 11 February, 1804)
D10) Samuel Homans (died, 1808)
D11) Helena Elizabeth Muller (died, 12 December, 1814)
D12) Johannes Wolff and Catharina Sara Smit (died, 18 September 1815 and 15 November 1820)
D13) Unknown 82-year old

THE JOOTHAKULAM (JEW POND) OF MADAI (MADAYI) AT MADAYIPARA, KANNUR

Joothakulam or Jew Pond of Madai

 

Madayipara Plateau

Introduction

A few years ago I wrote about the legendary ‘Jew Pond’ of Kodungallur in central Kerala (see here, here, here and here). In this post, I will take you through another so-called ‘Jew Pool’, which is located in Kannur, a northern district of Kerala. Unlike the Joothakulam (Jew Pond) of Kodungallur, whose Jewish connection is long forgotten and even the name has been replaced by a modern title ‘Kunnamkulam’, the Jew Pond of north is still known as Joothakulam. The ‘Jew Tank’ of Kannur is located in the ‘Madai’ Panchayat (Village Council) near the township of Pazhayangadi (Payangadi). This pond is located on a beautiful laterite hillock named ‘Madayipara’ (i.e. Madai Rock or Madai Hill), a rich biodiversity center on the northern bank of Kuppam River, north of the city of Kannur. Spread across an area of above 700 acres, Madayipara is an ecological paradise for the nature lovers. I visited Madai way back in early March of 2016 with the main purpose of seeing the Jew Pond, and that was almost a year before I traced the Joothakulam of Kodungallur in February, 2017, so I must admit that it took me a long time to blog about this trip.

Madai-A Jewish Colony in the North Kerala?

Usually, when one refers both historically and currently to the Jewish settlements in Kerala, the area of study is essentially confined to the central districts of Kerala, i.e., Ernakulam and Thrissur. However, in this case, we are dealing with a region far away, about 300 km north of Cochin, the present-day Jewish epicentre. In comparison to the remnants of Jewish heritage in central Kerala, what is left in the northern Kerala is only sparse traces, but Joothakulam of Madai is a rare exception, and perhaps a ‘Jew Street’ in Kozhikode (Calicut) can be counted as well. What do we know about the Jewish settlement in Madai? How big was the Jewish colony in Madai? How long did the settlement flourish? What happened to the descendants of Madai Jews in Kerala? Are there any other historical relics or socio-cultural elements from Madai Jews that have survived today? These are just a few questions one might ask out of curiosity.

Jewish Madai in Early Accounts

Interestingly, Madai appears among the earliest Jewish settlements in both the Paradesi and the Malabari oral traditions (Jussay, 2005). Although, it comes in early records as a historical place, the first mention of a Jewish presence specifically at Madai is by the Portuguese writer, Duarte Barbosa. In his ‘Livro de Duarte Barbosa’ (or ‘Book of Duarte Barbosa’), originally written in Portuguese about 1510s, there is a direct reference to the Jews living in Madai. I believe it’s worth quoting two independent English translations of the passage here:

IDENTIFYING THE TALLEST FUNERARY MONUMENT IN THE DUTCH CEMETERY OF FORT COCHIN.

Photo: February, 2017. Yellow arrow marks the tomb.

Anyone who has seen the ‘Dutch Cemetery’ at Fort Cochin will notice a tall funerary monument located near the center of the graveyard. The characteristic feature of this grave is a cylindrical multi-layered pillar tapering into a dome-shaped apex. Interestingly, this impressive sepulcher is not Dutch but a British monument. We know this because the faintly legible inscription on the first half of the epitaph is in English. With some effort, I could read the first three lines of the tombstone, at least partly, which says:

1- SACRED
2-TO THE MEMORY OF…
3-BELOVED WIFE…

It is unfortunate that the last part of the 2nd line which has the name of the deceased has faded significantly over time. The end of the 3rd line and the first half of the 4th line which have the details of her husband are also difficult to decipher on the first go. No doubt, she is someone important and influential to get such a monumental burial in the cemetery. 

Photographs of the 'Paradesi Jewish Cemetery' of Mattancherry-Wrongly Labelled as 'Ernakulam Jewish Cemetery'.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

I had noticed these interesting photographs of a Jewish cemetery from the ‘Getty Images’ previously, but they caught my serious attention only recently. This was when I came across an online platform where people were struggling to identify if it was the old (near St Teresa College) or the new (near Kathrikadavu Junction) Jewish cemetery of Ernakulam. The ‘Getty Images’ has the same caption for both the images and it reads: “ERNAKULAM, KERALA, INDIA - 1991: A woman cutting grass at the Ernakulam Jewish Cemetery in Ernakulam, Kerala, India, 1991. This ancient cemetery dates back about two and a half centuries. The graveyards of the Jews are records of the people of this community who had made Kerala their home over the centuries”. What appeared odd to me was that the photographs did not fit with Jewish cemeteries of Ernakulam. Similarly, it should be noted that, unlike expected, these vintage-looking black-and-white photographs captured by Dario Mitideri are only three decades older. I therefore, tried to see if these images are taken from the more well-known Jewish cemetery in Kerala, the Paradesi Cemetery of Mattancherry. As it turns out that, they are indeed from the Paradesi cemetery and not from any Jewish graveyards of Ernakulam. For a better understanding, I will compare the 1991 images with photographs that I took in 2019 from similar angles.

THE FORMER 'SYNAGOGUE HOUSE' IN FORT COCHIN

A few years ago, I wrote here about a synagogue in Fort Cochin. The synagogue belonged to a small Jewish community migrated from the Jew Town in Mattancherry and it was active only for a short period in the mid-19th century. At Fort Cochin, they could not bear the fatal blows struck by a terrible epidemic. Those who managed to survive the calamity either returned to Mattancherry or migrated outside Kerala. Surprisingly, the building which functioned temporarily as a synagogue still exists in the Lilly Street of Fort Cochin.

The Synagogue House in Lilly Street, Fort Cochin

 

A Sketch of Jewish Cemetery from Cochin in 1860

This is one of the oldest pictorial representation of a Jewish cemetery from Cochin. The drawing has appeared in the volume, 'British and Native Cochin' by Sir Charles Lawson, published in 1860. The title given for the sketch is 'The Jews Burial Ground'. Now, there are three known Jewish cemeteries in the Cochin-Mattancherry area.

1) Paradesi Jewish Cemetery (extant)
2) Malabari Jewish Cemetery (single tomb)
3) Jewish Cemetery near the Paradesi Synagogue (extinct) 

(For more information about the Jewish cemeteries of Kerala, see the links here).

We know it is not the third cemetery, because the graveyard became defunct by the late 18th century, and moreover, the cemetery depicted in the sketch does not fit with an area inside Jew Town close to the Paradesi and Thekkumbhagom Synagogues.

The question, therefore, is which cemetery is depicted here, is it the Paradesi or the Malabari cemetery? Lawson's description runs (sic): "The cemetery (called “ Beth Harum ” or the House of the Living) is a little distance behind the town, in the heart of a dense Cocoanut plantation. The tombs are very numerous, all designed with much care, and three or four of imposing size. The chilly atmosphere of the spot in the evening, the unbroken solitude, the parallel arrangement of the tombs with their feet pointing to the west, and the tropical vegetation around, are calculated to impress a stranger with thoughts of the most, profound character" (p. 126). I believe this description favours more towards the Paradesi cemetery. 

The trilingual plaques inserted at the entrance gate of  the Paradesi cemetery date its compound wall to 1898, but the age of the cemetery is not given. There is a view that the current Paradesi cemetery is not more than 250 years old, and before that the burials occurred in the old cemetery, i.e. the Malabari cemetery. Therefore, another possibility could be that the picture depicts the old Malabari Jewish cemetery. Does the large pillared structure in the center of the sketch resemble the lone surviving tomb of Nehemiah Motta? You can also compare the sketch with the old photograph of the Malabari Jewish cemetery. Anyway, what is more important is that we have here an image of a Jewish cemetery from Kerala more than two and a half centuries old, which is quite rare.

A Sketch of the Clock Tower of the Paradesi Synagogue in 1860

This interesting sketch titled 'The Rajah's Palace' appeared in Charles Lawson's 'British and Native Cochin' in the year 1860. It is the current Dutch Palace of Mattancherry (1). What strikes me the most in this fine mid-19th century drawing is the tower building (2) at the left end. The multi-storeyed tower is none other than the famous clock tower of the Paradesi Synagogue and behind is the synagogue building (3). In addition, you can see two entrances, one to the Synagogue (4) and the other to the Palace (5) sides. If you remember my earlier post on the dials of the clock tower, you will notice that the existence of the 4th dial facing the east (i.e. the harbour side) is a matter of dispute. Now, assuming this drawing is a true representation of the monument, the side facing the water body will be the eastern section of the clock tower, and if so, the square-shaped patch drawn above the two side windows in the tower (see the red arrow) could be the 4th clock dial. Nevertheless, the speculation stands valid only if the image is a true representation, and the monuments are drawn to the scale and in correct orientation. In any case, the drawing has one of the earliest known depiction of the 18th-century clock tower of the Paradesi Synagogue.

The Paradesi Synagogue from the Mattancherry harbour side today

Side entrance to the synagogue compound from the harbour side (left); and the east section of the clock tower lacking the clock dial (right). Photographs: February, 2023

The Lost Thekkumbhagom Synagogue of Mattancherry

Images of the extinct Thekkumbhagom Synagogue of Mattancherry are very rare to find, so whenever I come across one, I can't resist sharing it. Previously, I discussed about three such precious images here and here. This is another picture almost from the same angle, but the background is different, and what makes it more special is that it is the oldest in the lot. The photograph has appeared in a volume on 'Southern India' published in London during the period 1914-1915 as the first picture of a three-photo collage. The caption reads, 'Jew Town, Cochin' and the photograph is credited to O. M. Rocky. As I have already explained the significance of these images before, I will not repeat the same here.

Red dotted area- Thekkumbhagom Synagogue; 1- Clock-Tower; 2- Paradesi Synagogue's entrance.