Most of the Jewish settlements in Kerala are located either on the bank of a river or near a port. Traditions identify Cranganore (also known by names of Muziris, Shingly, Mahodayapuram, Thiruvanchikulam or Kodungallur), Pullut or Pullush (near Kodungallur), Madayi (near Ezhimala or Mount Deli, Kannur) and Palayur (near Chavakkad, Thrissur) as the four earliest Jewish settlements in Kerala. Archaeologists have identified in 2007 the ancient port city of Muziris in a place called Pattanam not far from Kodungallur (7 km) and Paravur (2 km). Muziris had a key role in the early historic Indian Ocean trade with Mediterranean and West Asian regions and the earliest settlement at Pattanam dates back to the first millennium BC. According to popular Jewish traditions, Kodungallur is also the first Jewish settlement (at least from 70 AD) in Kerala. The other three places still exist in modern Kerala; however almost nothing of Jewish significance remain from any of them. There are reliable reports documenting Jewish colonies in Quilon (Kollam), Kayamkulam and Calicut (Kozhikode). Records and traditions also suggest presence of Jewish settlements in Chaliyam (on the banks of Beypore river near Kozhikode); Panthalayani Kollam (near Quilandy); and Kothaparambu and Kottappuram (suburbs of Kodungallur). Geniza (store-room of a synagogue) papers at Cairo from the 12th century AD, mention about a brass factory of a certain West Asian Jewish merchant Abraham Yiju at a place called Dharmapattanam or Dharmadam, South of Kannur what was then called Dahfattan by Jews and Arabs. Today, Dharmapatanam is more famous for its 100 year old Government Brennen College.
The Syrian Christian community in Kerala widely believes St: Thomas, one of the Apostles of Jesus Christ brought Christianity to India. The island of Malankara, near Cranganore, is revered as St: Thomas’ landing site in Kerala. After his arrival in Cranganore (52 AD) St: Thomas established seven churches across Kerala. Interestingly, locations of these seven churches viz. Cranganore, Paravur (Kottakavu), Palayoor, Kokkamangalam, Niranam, Chayal (Nilackal) and Kollam (Quilon) were near earlier Jewish settlements. All these churches, except Nilackal, were located near the coastal area and connected together by rivers and backwaters. According to Ramban Pattu (the traditional songs said to be written by Thomas Rambaan, the first Brahmin convert to Christianity in first century; which is handed down through generations and written down in 1601 AD), St: Thomas reached on the wedding day of Cranganore King’s daughter and recited a Hebrew bridal song that only a Jewish flute girl understood. After the wedding, St. Thomas went to the Jewish quarter in Cranganore where he took up his residence and subsequently converted 40 Jewish inhabitants including the Jewish flute girl. Every Saturday the Apostle used to go and read and explain the Old Testament for the Jewish congregation. As the folksong goes on, the Rabbi of the Cranganore Synagogue named Paul and one of a Jewish prince by name Kepha (Peter) were converted and later ordained as bishops of Mylapore and Cranganore, respectively.
Tradition attributes Palayur having a Jewish settlement even before St: Thomas arrived Kerala in 52 AD. Some of the ancient Christian communities of Niranam claim their ancestry from a Jewish trading community that existed at the time of St: Thomas. These folklore and oral traditions are proofs for the existence of Jews on the Malabar Coast before the first century AD. Similarly, Kokkamangalam where St: Thomas established one of the seven churches, is very near to the Jewish colony of Muttam. Jewish settlements in Paravur and Kollam are well known. However, whether Muttam, Paravur and Kollam had a Jewish colony at the time of St: Thomas is debatable. It appears quite logical that St: Thomas himself a Jew by birth would have preferred to preach Gospel and establish churches near where his people already settled. For unknown reasons, the date of his arrival is precisely remembered as 52 AD by Christians of Kerala. Throughout Kerala one can find several Syrian Christian families tracing their ancestry from Jews or Brahmins baptized by St: Thomas or from the Jewish and other Middle Eastern groups migrated later. The most interesting case is that of the ‘Knanaya Christian Sect’ or Thekkumbhaghar (Southists) as commonly known in Kerala, who claim their ancestry from the Jewish Christian migrants from Urha (Edessa). According to Knanaya traditions, their ancestors first arrived in the ancient port city of Muziris (Kodungallur) in 345 AD and constituted of 400 members from 72 Jewish Christian families led by a Knai Thoma of Cana and a Bishop named Uraha Mar Ouseph. Similar to Orthodox Jews, this ethnic community has successfully maintained their unique identity by being very staunch adherents of endogamy and following certain Jewish rituals for the last 16 centuries!
I am a Keralite and had been to Muziris area. By visiting these places and reading about the Jewish/Christian/Islam early settlements and worshiping places, I would all interested people TO SAVE AND CONSERVE THESE PLACES. The Kerala mentality is to bulldoze all historical area and built an ugly concrete structure. Being a agricultural scientific community in Kerala we preserve lot of crops, plant species etc. , but historical places must be preserved by PEOPLE TOO.
ReplyDeleteSYRIAN CHRISTIANS AND JEWISH DIASPORA
ReplyDeleteThere are some attempts without any inscriptional or literary evidences to establish the fact that St. Thomas converted Jews in Kerala. It is claimed without any evidence that there were Jewish settlements in Kerala from the days of King Solomonn It is true that Solomon's ships came to India but it was not for bringing Jews to settle in Kerala but for the purpose of trade. Guided by Phœnician pilots, manned by Phœnician sailors, Phœnicians and Jews sailed forth together on their distant voyages, into the southern seas. They sailed to India, to Arabia and Somaliland, and they returned with their ships laden with gold and silver, with ivory and precious stones, with apes and peacocks. It was a trading mission and Jews were not brought in the ships for staying permanently in India. In those days when the Jews were living in all comfort and luxury in their own country there was ne need for a Diaspora.
Another claim of St. Thomas Christians without any basis is that they are the descendants of the Jews who came to Kerala during Diaspora. Diaspora, ( Greek: Dispersion) Hebrew Galut (Exile), the dispersion of Jews among the Gentiles after the Babylonian Exile; or the aggregate of Jews or Jewish communities scattered “in exile” outside Palestine or present-day Israel. But some Syrian Christians in their fanatical bid to disown their original caste of their own country and to appropriate for themselves the Jewish link have been propagating the view that they are the progeny of the Jews of Diaspora. But the historical events of the period and the significance of Jewish Diaspora will prove their attempts are nonsensical. The first Diaspora of the Jews in recorded history is the Baylonian exile. The Jewish Diaspora actually began in the year 597 BC with the seige and fall of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. Known as the Babylonian Captivity, a significant portion of the population of Judea was deported to Babylonia. A second deportation began in 587 BC when the First Jewish Temple was destroyed. In approximately 582 BC, the Babylonian governor of Judea was assassinated and many Jews fled to Egypt and a third deportation most likely began. Many of those Jews never returned to Israel.The Diaspora continued with the Great Jewish Revolt, otherwise known as the First Jewish-Roman War, which began in the year 66 AD and ended in 70 AD with the destruction of Jerusalem. The Romans began a seige of the city in 68 AD, but they did not begin to breach the walls until 70 AD. There were three walls surrounding the city, and all three were eventually breached. In turn, the Temple was destroyed, some of whose overturned stones can still be seen where they fell in 70 AD. The Romans then ransacked and burned nearly the entire city. Many Jews were killed, taken into slavery, or fled to other countries. After the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., the chief centers of Judaism due to diaspora were, Babylonia, Persia, Spain, France, Germany, Poland, Russia, and the United States. They did not come to India. Fake DNA test is made ignoring thousands of untouchables converted by CMS Missionaries. Their descendants are the major Syrian Christian population today.
Rajan Rajiv! Are you related to Bala Menon?
DeleteNobody said Jews came to India during AD 70. If so how can St. Thomas convert them on AD 52. Are you out of sense? No medicine for jealousy.There were Jew here even in BC.
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ReplyDeleteRajan Rajiv, at least read the wiki page on CMS Mission. CMS Mission has nothing to with Syrian Christians in Kerala. You can dispute Syrian Christian origins, but not based on stupid claims.
ReplyDeleteSOCIAL CULTURE,RITUALS,OLD CHURCHES'ARCHITECT,AND CUSTOMS FOLLOWED BY SYRIAN CHRISTIANS REVEALS THAT THEY WERE HINDUS,NOT JEWS. MOST PROBABLY MIDDLE CASTE HINDUS,NOT BRAHMINS.
ReplyDeleteWell, you are very wrong! look at the Syrian Orthodox architecture, culture, literature, customs......everything is Jewish!! Maybe after "India" was formed, many tried to Indianize it. If you are looking at the lamps etc, you should know that the natives worked with metals and things looked Indian....same with Cochin Jewish lamps too!!!!
DeleteHi
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