Template:Page numbers needed Template:Infobox religious building The Kadavumbhagam Mattancherry Synagogue (Template:Langx; Template:Langx), also known as the Kadavumbhagam Synagogue, is a former synagogue, located in Mattancherry, a locality in Kochi, in the Ernakulam district, in the coastal state of Kerala, India.
Abandoned in the 1950s, the former synagogue in to be preserved as a Jewish museum.
History
Completed in 1544 CE by the Malabar Jews, it is one of the oldest extant synagogues in India.[1][2][3] The Malabar Jews are the earliest Jewish settlers in India, believed to have arrived as traders in the ancient port city of Muziris.[4][5][6][7] It was the second to be built in Mattancherry, and is one of three synagogues in the area.[5][7][6]
The name of the synagogue is believed to refer to a much older synagogue that once stood in Kodungaloor.[6][7][5][4] The former Kadavumbhagam Synagogue is considered as one of the most ornately carved and decorated of the Malabar Synagogues in Kerala, particularly its wooden furnishes and interior sanctuary.[8][9][7] The name means "by the riverside" and refers to a boat dock that stood opposite the complex until the 1960s.[6][10][8][7] This palli (synagogue) was renowned for its divine miracles and stories associated and was revered by both the Malabar Jews and non Jewish locals.[11][10][12]
In 1955, the entire congregation made aliyah to Israel leaving the synagogue in disuse. It was initially encroached upon and later made into a warehouse for coir storage.[7][2][6][5] The interior furniture and women's bimah were shipped and preserved in the Israel Museum while its hekal is presently in moshav Nehalim in Israel.[6][7][8][10]
In September 2019, after decades of neglect, the entire front portion of the sanctuary collapsed in the heavy monsoon rainfall.[13] After much public outcry,[14] the Kerala Archaeology Department took possession of the monument to save it.[12][13] The former synagogue is being restored to function as a Jewish heritage museum.[9][15][12]
See also
References
- ↑ Home page. The Synagogues of Kerala. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ruby of Cochin : an Indian Jewish woman remembers{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Varda Books(2002). ISBN 1-59045-649-1
- ↑ Cochin Jews. Springer Netherlands(2018).
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Barbara C. Johnson collection of Malayalam Jewish songs from Kerala, India{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 The last Jews of Cochin: Jewish identity in Hindu India{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. University of South Carolina Press(1993). ISBN 0-87249-847-6
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 The last Jews of Kerala{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Portobello(2009)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 The Synagogues Of Kerala, India: Their Architecture, History, Context, And Meaning(2010-10-20).
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Far East mission{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Eagle Press(1952)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Synagogue should be a hub of Kerala Jews history: Experts. The Times of India(3 July 2021). Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 History of the Jews of Kerala{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}(1974)
- ↑ Jewish Malayalam women's songs{{#if:אופירה|, אופירה}(2009)
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Ernakulam: Archaeology department erects a roof over synagogue in Mattancherry. The Times of India(13 September 2021). Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Piece of Jewish history reduced to rubble in rain in Kerala. The Hindu(2019-09-11). Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ↑ Kochi: Call to protect Malabari synagogue gets louder. The Times of India(29 June 2021). Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ↑ Kadavumbhagam Synagogue on a path to revival. The New Indian Express(16 August 2021). Retrieved 2021-10-10.