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Friday, 17 September 2021

THE FOUR DIALS OF THE CLOCK TOWER OF PARADESI SYNAGOGUE.

It may appear strange that the most photographed Jewish monument in Kerala is a three-storeyed clock tower outside a synagogue. The reason is that, Paradesi synagogue, the most frequented Jewish site in Kerala has a strict no photography policy inside its compound, and the closest a visitor could get is an attractive clock tower located just outside the main sanctuary building. Nonetheless, not many people know that the tower building is not part of the original synagogue built in 1568, but was constructed around two centuries later. The 45 feet tall square shaped structure built in Dutch architectural style in 1760-1761 period is worth exploring. There are different versions about the origin of the clock tower such as the Dutch Governor donating the monument (see the 'bell thieves' story) or the Cochin Rajah giving land for the tower etc. It is generally agreed, however, that the tower was built by the wealthy Jewish merchant, Ezekiel Rahabi, who also brought the famed Chinese tiles from Canton in China in 1762 for the synagogue. To the best of my knowledge, the earliest documented evidence about the clock tower is in the travelogue of Rabbi David Hillel, who visited Cochin in late 1820s and published his 'Travels of Rabbi David de'Beth Hillel' in 1832. He writes: "The Dutch presented the synagogue with an excellent clock for which a separate tower is built" (1832, p. 120).  


The clock tower located at the end of 'Synagogue Lane' has the Synagogue on the western side; the Cochin Rajah's Palace (Dutch Palace) on the northern side; and the Mattancherry harbour on the eastern side. One of the characteristic feature of this clock tower, is its unique dials made of teak wood engraved in Latin/Roman (south side), Hebrew (west side) and Malayalam (north side) numerals and texts. The cardinal arrangement of each dials in different languages was probably meant for specific communities. Thus, the Hebrew west dial facing the Synagogue courtyard served the Jewish worshippers; the north dial in colloquial Malayalam was meant for the Rajah of Cochin; and the south dial with standard Roman numerals was for the Jewish community residing in the Synagogue Lane. A clock tower with three dials, in three different languages, with three different calendar systems to denote its establishment date is unique. I believe this is perhaps the only place in Kerala where you get to see the first ten Hebrew alphabets arranged in a serial order and displayed publically, although you need get inside the synagogue courtyard to get a better view. The Malayalam numerals are outdated and rarely used by the common people today, so it is also a special feeling to look them from a historic venue.


This brings us to the question of whether a fourth dial existed on the east side of the tower which is currently empty. If there was one, why and when was it removed and what type of numerals was used in it? Some scholars believe that there may once have a fourth dial on the east, facing the harbour, with Arabic numerals, which Paradesi leader, I. S. Hallegua believed was probably taken down in 1800 for unknown reasons (Weil, 2002, p.55). However, this may not be the case if we consider the description given by Advocate A. B. Salem in his authoritative work, 'Jew-Town Synagogue', published in 1929. According to him, there was an east dial for the general public, but he does not mention the type of numerals used in it. It will not be out of place to quote the full passage from Salem's work which is as follows: "Inside is the clock-an old Dutch curiosity-worthy to be preserved under the Indian Ancient Monuments Act of Lord Curzon, with its four dials, one, to show the time to the worshippers in the Synagogue, fixed on the western wall of the tower, one on the northern wall to show the time to the Raja of Cochin, and one, on the southern side for the advantage of the community, and one, on the eastern side for the general public" (Salem, 1929, pp. 24-25). Surprisingly, even later writers such as Bar Giora (1958, p. 226), Yehudi (1989, p. 56), Segal (1993, p. 48) etc., write specifically about a fourth dial with Arabic numerals on the eastern side. 


If indeed a fourth dial existed until late 20th century, there must be an external evidence, perhaps a photograph to support this claim. So far, I haven't come across any photograph that shows a dial on the eastern wall of the clock tower. The availability of early images of the east side of the clock tower is major hurdle, because the monument is usually captured from the south side (Synagogue Lane). In order to have the the eastern wall, the image has to be obtained from the north (Dutch Palace side) or the east (harbour side) sides. Nevertheless, here is one rare early 20th century image of the clock-tower depicting the east side. The photograph appeared in 1923 in the book entitled 'Cochin British & Indian' by F S Davies, and you can see the east wall lacks a clock-dial.

The clock tower and the synagogue in 1923

Yet another image to be considered is the one that has appeared in the front cover of "The Songs of Cochin Jews and their Historical Significance", published by Paradesi leader A. I. Simon in 1947 from Cochin. If the image was part of the original edition, then we have a clear evidence that an east dial was absent in the mid-20th century also. However, we do not know if the community reinstalled one shortly afterwards, which Bar Giora claims to have seen in 1958. Bar Giora also reports about a plaque on the side facing the synagogue (i.e. western side of clock tower), on which was written in Hebrew "Our days pass away like a shadow, we bring our years to an end as tale that is told". This plaque bearing the Hebrew dictum is also mentioned by Yehudi (1989, p. 56) seen near the door, which according to him was later lost. 

The Paradesi Synagogue and the Palace Temple next to each other (A. I. Simon, 1947)

Another interesting image, which is from the first decade of 20th century, published in an article on the 1906 edition of the Jewish Encyclopaedia, exclusively featuring the clock tower. What is striking in this image is that the clock tower is bordered by a tall solid structure completely concealing the east wall. The structure is so high that it almost reaches the height of the spire. I couldn't figure out the purpose of this walled structure or confirm if it was only a temporary construction. I believe the position of the structure and the manner in which it was erected very close to the wall would be an indication that a dial on the east side was possibly absent, but it is only a speculation. In short, unless we have a strong evidence to prove that an east dial existed in the 20th century, we have to assume that it didn't exist at that particular period of time, but on the other hand if it was part of the original structure, why was it not retained afterwards will remain a mystery.

Clock tower (1906). Photo courtesy: https://jewishencyclopedia.com/


THE CLOCK TOWER AND SYNAGOGUE FROM DUTCH PALACE COMPOUND
The Paradesi Synagogue and the Palace Temple (Azhithrikovil Mahavishnu) next to each other 

THE SOUTHERN ROMAN DIAL



The Roman dial has the Gregorian date 1760 at the bottom of the dial, and the word Anno (Year) on the top section is from "Anno Domini" ("Year of the Lord" in Latin).

THE WESTERN HEBREW DIAL



The dial has the Hebrew numerals from 1 to 12. The word שנת (shanath) refers to "year" and תקכא corresponds to the Hebrew date 5521 (400 + 100 + 20 + 1) which is equivalent to the Gregorian date, 1760-1761. The Hebrew words written on the top of the dial, יהי רצין (Yehi Ratzon) mean "May it be God's will". 

THE NORTHERN MALAYALAM DIAL



The dial has the Malayalam numerals from 1 to 12. The word കൊല്ല൦ means "year" in Malayalam. The symbol on the lower right end corner of the dial in Malayalam script corresponds to the number 36. However, it took me a while to decipher the character on the lower left corner which corresponds to the number 900 represented in old Vattezhuthu used in Malabar region. I owe this crucial information to Ravivarma, L. A. (1971, p. 20). In Malayalam script, 900 is usually represented by ൯൦൦. Thus, the symbols refer the Malayalam Era (Kolla Varsham) 936 (900 + 36) which is equivalent to the Gregorian date, 1760-1761. 

EASTERN LOST DIAL (ARABIC?)

The empty eastern wall has no trace of a dial, but as we discussed above, it might had one in the more popular Arabic numerals for the general (non-Jewish) community.

REFERENCES
  • Bar Giora N. (1958)-A Note on the History of the Synagogues in  Cochin (Hebrew)
  • David D'Beth Hillel (1832)-The Travels of Rabbi David D'Beth Hillel-From Jerusalem, Through Arabia, Koordistan, Part of Persia and India
  • Ravivarma L. A. (1971)-Pracheena Kerala Lipikal (Malayalam)
  • Salem A. B. (1929)-Jew-Town Synagogue
  • Segal J. B. (1993)-A History of the Jews of Cochin
  • Simon A. I. (1947)-The Songs of the Jews of Cochin and their Historical Significance
  • Weil, Ilana (2002)- The Architecture of the Paradesi Cochin Synagogue: In  "India's Jewish Heritage-Ritual, Art and Life-Cycle",  Shalva Weil (ed.).
  • Yehudi, Prem Doss Swami Doss (1989)-The Shingly Hebrews
Posted by CONTACT ME (Dr. Laju Paul K.) at 08:27

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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)