Chendamangalam (or Chennamangalam) is a small town and a panchayat in

Paravur Taluk Paravur Taluk, {{IPA-ml, pɐrɐʋuːr, IPA, is a taluk of Ernakulam District in the Indian State of Kerala. North Paravur is the capital of the taluk. Paravur Taluk lies in the north western part of Ernakulam district bordering Thrissur distr ...

Ernakulam district Ernakulam, ; ISO: ''Eṟaṇākuḷaṁ'', in Malayalam: എറണാകുളം), is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala, that takes its name from the eponymous city division in Kochi. It is situated in the central part ...

in the state of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Location

It is about 23 km from Ernakulam. It has three rivers, seven inlets, hillocks and large expanses of green plain. The historic city of

Kodungallur Kodungallur (; also Cranganore, Portuguese: Cranganor; formerly known as Mahodayapuram, Shingly, Vanchi, Muchiri, Muyirikkode, and Muziris) is a historically significant town situated on the banks of river Periyar on the Malabar Coast in Th ...

is about 9 km from the village.

Attractions

The Paliam Palace, residence of the Paliath Achans, hereditary Prime Ministers to the former Maharajas of

Kochi Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

, is one of the architectural splendours of

. The Palace is over 450 years old and houses a collection of historic documents and relics.

History

The hillocks at Kottayil Kovilakam are unique as the site of a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

, a Syrian Christian

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

, a

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

and a restored

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

ish

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

, all within 1 km of each other. The

was built in 1614 AD and is in a peaceful wooded area. In the courtyard behind the synagogue, it is possible to find old

ish

grave A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as grave ...

s, including one of a Jewish woman, dated 1264 AD. The Jews arrived in Chendamangalam after the destruction of the second temple and the final desolation of

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

in (AD 69) and founded a colony. They moved to

Fort Kochi Fort Kochi, Fort Cochin in English, Cochim de Baixo ("Lower Kochi") in Cochin Portuguese creole, is a neighbourhood of Cochin (Kochi) city in Kerala, India. Fort Kochi takes its name from the Fort Manuel of Cochin, the first European fort ...

in 1341 AD after the Great flood. All the 8 synagogues in Kerala built during the recent centuries — located at Chendamangalam, Paravoor, Mala,

and

Ernakulam Ernakulam () is the Central Business District of the city of Kochi in Kerala, India and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Many major establishments, including the Kerala High Court, the office of the Kochi Municipal Corporation a ...

— have similar traditional

architectural Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings o ...

features: * a central bimah of brass or

silver Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

metal on a

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...

or stone base * an ark on the western wall * a balcony above the eastern entry to the sanctuary that is used by the reader on certain holidays. * a women's gallery behind the balcony, with a stairway leading up to it, usually from outside the building. Also here are remains of the Vypeenakotta Seminary built for Syrians in the 16th century by the

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

. Adjacent to the

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

is an old Syrian Catholic Church built in 1201. It is also the site of the first

printing press A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a printing, print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in wh ...

. Chendamangalam was part of Kanayanur taluk, of the erstwhile Cochin State. The panchayat was formed in 1914. Bordered by rivers on the north, east and south, it is a meeting place of cultural diversity. Jews, Christians, Muslims and several of the distinct Hindu castes lived here harmoniously. The presence of immigrant communities like Konkinis (Gowda Saraswatha Brahmins) Moopans (Kudumbis) and the craftsmen categories viz. Kallasari (masons), Marassari (carpenters), Moosari (moulders), Kollan (blacksmiths), Thattan (goldsmiths), Chalian (weavers), and Kusavan (potters) to this day reminds of past industrial and business importance. The Jewish community migrated to Israel in the 1950s and 1960s. Their synagogue is presently maintained by the archaeology department. There is also an abandoned Jewish cemetery behind the mosque, about 400 m from the synagogue, which has not been restored yet. Mar Sleeva Church was established in 1075. The special fortified construction of the old block of the church is believed to have been constructed at the time of Tippu Sultan's invasion of Malabar.

Paliyam Satyagraha The Paliyam Satyagraha (from December 1947 to March 1948) was the first organised Satyagraha in Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorg ...

resulted in the temple entry proclamation in Cochin State. Mattachanda (Barter Market), an annual fair conducted every year on the eve of Vishu, is reminiscent of past history when people came from near and far to buy their domestic needs such as food ingredients, condiments, cutlery, pottery and furniture in exchange for their agricultural produce or hand made products, even though now all transactions are in cash. From 1663 to 1809, Prime Ministers of Cochin, Paliath Achans, resided at Chendamangalam.

Places of Worship

Chendamangalam Synagogue The Chendamangalam Synagogue (Malayalam: ചേന്ദമംഗലം ജൂതപള്ളി) (Hebrew; בית הכנסת צ'נמנגלם) is one of the oldest known synagogues built by the Malabar Jews,in Chendamangalam, a village in the Ern ...

* Sree Venugopala Krishna Swami Devasthan was established in 1900 AD at Chennamangalam (earlier known as Jayantha mangalam), the main deity is Venugopalakrishna Swamy. The main idol is ''Shila Vigrah of Venugopalakrishna Swamy''. There is also an Utsav idol of the Lord and the idols of ''Garuda'' and ''

Hanuman Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and on ...

'' at His feet. The temple celebrates a six-day-long annual festival in the month of Vaisakh
Sree Venugopla KrishnaSwami Dewasthan
* Holy Cross Church, Kottayil Kovilakam * St. Sebastian's, Gothuruth * St. Threasa at Little Flower Church (koottukad) feast * Little Flower Church, Kuttukad * St. Sebastian Chappel, Paruvathuruth * Chendamangalam Juma Masjid * Parayil Ayyappa Temple, Vadakkumpuram, an ancient temple * Kunnathuthali Sree Mahadeva Temple * Kuttikkattu Bhagavathy Temple * Kangolikattu Madapathi Temple * Kokkattu Nagayekshi Temple * Sree Krishna Swamy temple, Kottayil Kovilakam * Kottattal Bhagavathy Temple * Paliyam Bhagavati Temple, Chendamangalam * Palayam Sree Krishna Temple * Ayyappa Temple

Demographics

India

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

, Chendamangalam had a population of 28,133. Males constitute 48% of the population and females 52%. Chendamangalam has an average literacy rate of 86%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 87% and female literacy of 85%. 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Education

* St. Sebastians HSS, Gothuruth * Paliam Govt. HSS, Chendamangalam * Dharmaposhani Sabha School, V P Thuruth * Santacruz LP School, Kootukad * Govt. LP School, Chendamangalam * St. Joseph's High school, Chathedam * St. Mary's LP School, Chendamangalam * O.L.M.S, Kurumbathuruth * H.I.J.P School, Chathedam

Health

* Gothuruth PHC

Localities

Chendamangalam, Gothuruth, Kottayilkovilakam, Vadakkumpuram, Karimbadam, Kochangady, Kurumbathuruth, Valiya Pazhampilly Thuruth, C P Thuruth, Kizhakkumpuram, Thekkumpuram, Chathedam, Manakodam, Kootukad, Kadalvathuruth, Palathuruth, Kunjvarathurth, Bharanimuku, Kottatal.

Places of interest

* Kottayil Kovilakam * Jew Market The synagogue has been restored and has an exhibit open to visitors from 9:30 to 5:00 during the week
Chendamangalam Synagogue

References

{{Ernakulam district Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2001 All articles containing potentially dated statements Cities and towns in Ernakulam district Tourism in Kerala Suburbs of Kochi