CONTACT ME

Wednesday, 3 August 2022

Discovering the Tombstone of Samuel Ezekiel Divekar (died, 14 December, 1796) at Ernakulam- the founder of Sha'ar Ha Rahammim- the first synagogue (built, 1796) of the Bene Israel Community in Bombay (Mumbai).

Previously I mentioned about Samuel Ezekiel Divekar (also known as Samaji Hassaji Divekar), who was a native Commandant from the Bene Israel Jewish community in the 6th Battalion of the British East India Company (see here and here). He was captured as a prisoner-of-war in the Second Mysore War (1780-1784) by Tipu Sultan's forces. It is believed that out of gratitude for his miraculous deliverance from being beheaded with other prisoners, Samuel Divekar built the first ever Bene Israel synagogue at Mumbai in 1796. Shirley Isenberg in her acclaimed and comprehensive work, "India's Bene Israel" compiles in detail about the circumstances that led to Samuel's captivity and release, his role in the establishment of the Sha'ar Ha-Rachamim (the Gate of Mercy) synagogue, and his relationship with the Cochin Jews (1988, pp. 46, 314-324). According to the Bene Israeli tradition, he was released through the intervention of Tipu’s mother who was glad to see a "Bene Israel" (Children of Israel), a community positively mentioned in Koran; a variation of the story is that he was freed by the efforts of Cochin's influential and rich Jewish leaders (Ezekiel Rahabi, Isaac Sargon etc.). As the story goes further, the new synagogue lacked a Torah Scroll, so Samuel went to Cochin to obtain one from its famed Jewish community, but quite unexpectedly, he died of a sudden death and was buried there. 

So where in Cochin was Samuel Ezekiel buried? Probably, the earliest document where Samuel appears in history is the "Travels of Rabbi David D'Beth Hillel" in 1832 (p. 134), which however does not mention his journey to Cochin. To quote the full passage: "They had no synagogue before but some years ago a fine synagogue was built by one of thm named Samuel who was Captain in the Honorable Company's Army. He was a very rich man and childless, therefore he caused this synagogue to be built with many houses around it, the rent of which is to be appropriated for the sundry expenses of the synagogue. It is denominated in the native language Mesgad Beney Israeyl (i.e Masjid Bene Israel)". One of the first reports on Samuel's visit to Cochin and his death there is in Masa'ot Shelomo (Travels of Solomon), a Hebrew account by Solomon Reinmann (published in 1884) who was visiting Bene Israeli community at least as early as 1846 (Isenberg, 1988, p. 81). According to Reinemann: "He built a synagogue at Bombay and returned to Cochin to fetch a Sefer Torah. But he died, and his synagogue remained without a Sefer Torah" (quoted in Isenberg, 1988, p 315). Haeem Samuel Kehimkar, the doyen of Bene Israel historians, also writes that Samuel died in 1797 at Cochin, where he had gone to bring scrolls of the law for synagogue (1892, p. 24; 1937, p. 256). Isenberg cites (1988, p. 317) from a 1927-Marathi booklet published by Sha'ar Ha- Rachamim synagogue that: "He (Samaji) started building the synagogue at his own expense. This was finished in the year 1796...Till now there was no hand-written Sefer Torah and therefore Samaji Divekar decided to go to Cochin. He took a Sefer Torah from there and was about to leave for Bombay (Mumbai). All of a sudden he fell sick and within two days of illness Samaji Divekar died in Cochin. This was the 14th day of the month of Kislev in the year 1797". There is another version that Tipu's loyalists identified Samuel while he was in Cochin and poisoned him or murdered him with a knife or sword.

David Sassoon in his famous catalogue Ohel David (1932, vol. 2, p. 574) records that Samuel died on a journey to Cochin whilst delivering prayers in a synagogue, and that the location of his tombstone is in the "Cemetery of the Cochin Jews in Cochin", which then should be in Mattancherry. Bar Giora (1958, p. 226) on the other hand, reports that Samuel was buried at the "Khavarot Hadash" (New Cemetery) south of Ernakulam, which is the current Old Jewish Cemetery of Ernakulam near St Teresa's College. Segal (1993, p. 62) also follows Bar Giora's narrative and locates his tomb in the cemetery south of Ernakulam. On the other hand, not everyone agrees with Samuel's Cochin connection, Nathan Katz  for instance, dismisses the tradition of his burial in the cemetery at Ernakulam and believes that the Cochin Jews have confused him with someone else (Roland, 1998, p. 310 fn. 15).

What do we know about Samuel's family background? According to the Marathi account of 1927, his father Hassaji (Ezekiel) Divekar, owned land in Janjira on the Konkan shore before moving to Bombay; and that six of his sons lost their lives in war, and only Samaji (Samuel) and another son Issaji (Isaac) survived. The booklet also adds that Samuel had two wives and only two daughters, and that the synagogue was looked after by his brother's (Isaac Divakar) son, David after he left for Cochin (quoted in Isenberg, 1988, pp. 316-317). Tradition is that Samuel adopted his nephew David (1777-1846) as his son so that he would carry on his name according to the traditions of those days. Kehimkar (1937, p. 78) writes that Hassaji (Ezekiel) Divakar from the Janjira state was the second Bene Israeli to have settled in Bombay, and that his sons were enlisted in 1760 in the British Army. Later in his book, Kehimkar (1937, pp. 190-191) lists 5 sons of Hassaji, their names are mentioned  in the following order: Issaji (Isaac), Sillamon (Solomon), Samaji (Samuel), Ellojee (Elijah) and David Hassaji Divekar, who according to him were all enlisted about 1760 and promoted to higher ranks later. Jewish traveller, Solomon Reinemann (1884), reports of meeting Sr. David Commandan, the son of Samuel, and also notes that he had more sons (quoted by Isenberg, 1988, p. 315).  However, Rabbi David D'Beth Hillel (1832, p. 134) comments that Samuel died childless. Rabbi Louis Rabinowitz (1952, pp. 67-68) shares a tradition that suggests he was born at Dive in Hasan (Janjira) State, who joined the army in 1750 at the age of 30, served for 42 years and settled himself in Bombay with a handsome pension. The Jewish Encyclopaedia (1906) strangely identifies him as a Cochin Jew, who was born (1730) and died (1797) in Cochin!

Coming back to the tombstone, Sassoon (1932, p. 574) has the full Hebrew transcript of the epitaph dedicated to "Samuel b. Ezekiel Divekar Cammodan" with 1796 marked as the year of his death. It is therefore certain that the tombstone was accessible in the early decades of 20th century. Isenberg provides an English translation that reads: "This marks (the resting place) of Rav Samuel, son of Ezekiel Divekar, Commadan (i.e. Commandant) Israel, who died on Wednesday the 14th day of the month of Kislev in the year 1797" (1988, p. 46). At Ernakulam old Jewish cemetery, I have photographed the surviving tombstones on multiple occasions, but haven't come across Samuel's epitaph. Similarly, when I contacted Elias Babu Josephai of nearby Kadavumbagom Synagogue of Ernakulam regarding this matter, he also suggested that the grave is lying somewhere in the old cemetery. For a long time, I had the impression that the tombstone was lost along with several other specimens in the much abandoned and heavily neglected Ernakulam old Jewish cemetery. Another possibility, though remote, is that it is preserved inside the Paradesi Jewish cemetery, but since it is not possible to access the cemetery, there is no way to confirm this theory. Therefore, I was quite surprised when Prof. Shalva Weil, Senior Researcher at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem reached me a few months ago, enquiring if I have a photograph of Samuel Divekar's tombstone. She claims seeing his grave in Ernakulam (she is certain that it was not in Mattancherry) and also a recent photograph of the tombstone. To me this was new information and a clue that the epitaph still exists. Nevertheless, a question remains: Why would Samuel Divekar who went to fetch the Torah Scrolls from the Paradesi community in Cochin gets buried at Ernakulam? Was it because he was a Bene Israeli, that a burial was denied in the Paradesi cemetery?

Meanwhile, I was planning to start blogging after a long hibernation period, and I thought of writing about a Jewish tombstone preserved in the heart of Ernakulam city. What is special about this Jewish artefact is that it is housed in a Christian museum, and I don't think many are aware about its existence. Located near the famous Broadway Street, the Catholic Art Museum is part of the Ernakulam St. Mary Basilica Complex, a must see stop for anyone interested in learning St Thomas Christian heritage. The tombstone is installed in open air near the steps leading to the museum entrance upstairs. However, this is not the only Jewish artefact in the museum. There is a Torah Scroll (Sefer Torah) displayed inside the museum, which has an ornamented wooden case and is adorned with silver (?) crown and finials. The bilingual caption reads "Thora- the Holy Bible written in Hebrew on Goat's skin, which belongs to the 18th century". I remember taking photographs of the tombstone in 2017, but didn't pay more attention to the artefact thereafter.

Recently, I had the opportunity to interact with Fr. Ignatius Payyappilly under whose guidance the museum was set up in 2001. I asked him about the Jewish tombstone that has been carefully preserved. According to Fr. Payyappilly, the tombstone was procured from Mattancherry and dated to the 15th century by experts, but no other details are known. This was quite fascinating, because to the best of my knowledge, other than the 1269 tombstone of Sarah bat Israel at Chendamangalam, there aren’t any surviving Jewish tombstones in Kerala that can be convincingly dated before the 16th century. The oldest Jewish tombstone dated 1540 belongs to one "Leah daughter of Moses Belilah" from Cochin (Bar Giora, 1958, p. 226, Segal, 1993, p. 31). I therefore decided to examine the tombstone more critically. The names Samuel and Ezekiel could be easily read in the 2017 photograph taken, but the third name was not very legible. However, when I deciphered the date, Wednesday 14 Kislev 5557, which correspond to 14 December 1796, clearly it struck a nerve. As I went through a later (2019) photograph taken, the third name (Divankar) also became very evident, and soon I realised that the tombstone is not any ordinary grave marker. I knew David Sassoon has catalogued the Hebrew transcript of Samuel Divekar's tombstone, and to my delight, the museum specimen turned out to be a perfect match. This was an accidental discovery, and a Catholic museum was the least expected venue for such an important Jewish artefact. Although the historical accuracy of the exact role played by Cochin Jews in the release of Samuel is challenged (Joseph, 1986, p. 362), the tombstone attests at least the fact that he was buried in Kerala. Now if Samuel was buried in Ernakulam, how did his tombstone reached Mattancherry? Fr. Payyappilly could perhaps throw more light into these missing gaps, but I am yet to hear from him, so will keep you updated if I get more information.

By the way, the museum has a good display of St Thomas Christian artefacts collected from early churches that were demolished or renovated, and some donated by Christian families. Of particular interest are the wooden statues of Virgin Mary and Infant Jesus, Child Jesus teaching and St George mounted on a horse, all with distinct Buddhist influence and have been assumed to be pre-Portuguese (i.e. 14th to15th centuries) in origin  by the museum.

 Jewish Tombstone at the Entrance to the Catholic Art Museum 


Samuel Ezekiel Divekar's Tombstone and the Hebrew Inscription

The Torah Scroll (Sefer Torah) with Wooden Case, Crown and Finials

 Catholic Art Museum, Ernakulam-Interior

Wooden Statues of Virgin Mary holding Infant Jesus, Child Jesus Teaching and St George on Horse The museum dates these statues to 14th to 15th centuries. However, later dates are also being suggested. For instance, the statue of 'Teaching Child Jesus' (originally from Kanjoor church) has been dated to second half of the 16th century to the first decades of the 17th century by Prof. Istvan Perczel (Syriac Christianity in India, In 'The Syriac World', ed. by Daniel King, 2019).

References

Bar Giora, Naphtali (1958, Hebrew)-A Note on the History of the Synagogues in  Cochin, Sefunot, Volume 2

Isenberg, Shirley (1988)-India's Bene Israel-A Comprehensive Inquiry and Sourcebook

Joseph, Brenda (1986)-Samaji's Synagogue:Tales and Traditions: In 'Jews in India', edited by Thomas A Timberg,

Kehimkar, Haeem Samuel (1892)- A Sketch of the History of the Bene-Israel and an Appeal for their Education

Kehimkar, Haeem Samuel (1937)-The History of the Bene-Israel (originally written in 1897)

Rabinowitz, Louis (1952)- Far East Mission

Reinemann, Solomon (1884, Hebrew)- Masa'ot Shelomo B'Eretz Hodu, Burman, V'Sinim (Travels of Solomon in India, Burma and China)

Roland,Joan G. (1998)-The Jewish Communities of India-Identity in a Colonial Era, 2nd Edition

Sassoon, David (1932)-Ohel Dawid, Volume 2

Segal, J B (1993)- A History of the Jews of Cochin

Travels of Rabbi David D'Beth Hillel (1832)

Posted by CONTACT ME (Dr. Laju Paul K.) at 00:18

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

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)