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. 

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.

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. 

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 here. The 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. 

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".

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.