Mattancherry Synagogue, Paradesi Synagogue

Jewish Synagogue-Paradesi Synagogue - Mattancherry Synagogue - Kochi - Kerala

Jewish Synagogue – Mattancherry Synagogue

Jewish Synagogue / Paradesi Synagogue is also known as the Mattancherry Synagogue. The Paradesi Synagogue is the oldest active synagogue in the Commonwealth of Nations, located in Kochi, Kerala, in South India.

Mattancherry Synagogue constructed in 1567, it is one of seven synagogues of the Malabar Yehudan or Yehudan Mappila people or Cochin Jewish community in the Kingdom of Cochin.

Jewish-Synagogue-Paradesi-Synagogue-Clock — An old Clock on the wall of Paradesi Synagogue

Mattancherry Synagogue – Name

Paradesi is a word used in several Indian languages, and the literal meaning of the term is “foreigners”, applied to the synagogue because it was built by Sephardic or Spanish-speaking Jews, some of them from families exiled in Aleppo, Safed and other West Asian localities. It is also referred to as the Cochin Jewish Synagogue or the Mattancherry Synagogue.

Graffiti Wall-Jew Street - Jews Street - Jews Town - Graffiti Wall - Kochi — Graffiti Wall-Jew Street

Mattancherry Synagogue – Paradesi Synagogue

Beautiful place of worship of Jews who were living once in Mattancherry, flooring and the colorful hanging lamps are cute, brief history of Jews arrival to Indian cost and their life in India is displayed at the entrance.

Photography is not allowed inside, also this place will not be available for visit on Fridays, Saturdays and Jewish holidays.

Jew Street - Jews Street - Jews Town - Kochi — Shopkeeper showing kashmiri shawls to the foreign visitors

Spice market – Fort Kochi

The nearby Market Road still bustles with spice market and tourist curio shops dominated by Kashmiri shopkeepers selling mostly wood carvings, oil lamps, spice box, snake boats and some tempting coffee table books.

Spice Market - Jew Street - Jews Street - Jews Town - Kochi — Nuts and Spices in Glass jars – Jew Street

The exotic odor of the finest ginger, cloves, cardamom, turmeric and pepper, also known as black gold, emanate from the spice warehouses lining the street and fills it.