The Kochangadi Synagogue, or Misro Synagogue (
Mal: കൊച്ചങ്ങാടി ജൂതപള്ളി or മിസ്രൊ പള്ളി) (
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
: בית הכנסת קוצ'נגאדי ) (1344 A.D - 1789 A.D) was a historic
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 ...
located in
Kochangadi
Kochangadi is a small area in west Kochi in Ernakulam district of Kerala state south India. It is reputed for Chempittapally which is an old Mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), a ...
, south of
Jew Town in
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 ...
, in the coastal 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 ...
. It was built in 1344 A.D
by the
Malabari Jews after fleeing from
Cranganore
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 Thr ...
, making it the oldest synagogue in India in recorded history. It was lost and never rebuilt. The subsequent
Kadavumbhagam Synagogue (1544 A.D) and
Thekkumbhagam Synagogue
The Thekkumbhagam Mattancherry Synagogue aka Thekkumbhagam Synagogue was a synagogue located in Mattancherry Jew Town, a suburb of Kochi, Kerala, in South India. It was built in 1647 AD. by the Malabar Jews, on land donated by the Maharajah of ...
(1647 A.D) were built after this congregation was established. The name "Kochangadi" is an abbreviation of "Kocha Angadi" or "Jew Market", as jews were addressed as ''Kocha'' in colloquial
malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
.
The synagogue in its history underwent multiple stages of destruction and restoration. The ruins of this synagogue was believed to have been intact until the late 20th century. The compound had at least one intact wall and was colloquially called "Misro Palli" though the entomology of the name is lost to time.
The foundation stone is still retained in the courtyard wall of the
Paradesi Synagogue
The Paradesi Synagogue aka Cochin Jewish Synagogue or the Mattancherry Synagogue (Malayalam: പരദേശി ജൂതപള്ളി) is a synagogue located in Mattancherry Jew Town, a suburb of the city of Kochi, Kerala, in India. It wa ...
of
Mattancherry
Mattancherry (), is a locality in the city of Kochi, India. It is about 9 km south-west from the city center. It is said that the name Mattancherry comes from "Ancherry Mattom", a ''Namboodiri illam'' which the foreign traders then pronounc ...
, maintained by the
Paradesi Jews
Paradesi Jews were Jews, Jewish people who immigrated to the Indian subcontinent during the 15th and 16th centuries following the expulsion of Jews from Spain. ''Paradesi'' refers to the Malayalam word that means ''foreign'' as they were newc ...
.
History
The Kochangadi Synagogue was mostly likely built in the 14th century AD, after the Malabari Jews had to abandon
Muziris
Muziris ( grc, Μουζιρίς, Old Malayalam: ''Muciri'' or ''Muciripattanam'' possibly identical with the medieval ''Muyirikode'') was an ancient harbour and an urban centre on the Malabar Coast. Muziris found mention in the ''Periplus of ...
or
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 Thr ...
. Joseph Azar, the 72nd heir to
Joseph Rabban
Joseph Rabban (old Malayalam:Narayanan, M. G. S. ''Perumāḷs of Kerala: Brahmin Oligarchy and Ritual Monarchy: Political and Social Conditions of Kerala Under the Cēra Perumāḷs of Makōtai (c. AD 800 - AD 1124).'' Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBoo ...
and the last jewish prince of
Shingly, fled to
Kochangadi
Kochangadi is a small area in west Kochi in Ernakulam district of Kerala state south India. It is reputed for Chempittapally which is an old Mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), a ...
with his followers and founded the Kochangadi congregation. The reason for this migration is unclear with numerous theories and legends ranging from an attack 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 ...
, a catastrophic
flood in 1341 A.D, to a quarrel and subsequent murder of his elder brother Aaron Azar. Moses Pereira de Paiva gives his account ''Noticias dos Judeos de Cochim'' , that he had seen the tomb of Joseph Azar in Cochin. Today no such extant remains are found to corroborate this. The other tradition states that the
Palayur Jews migrated to Kochangadi and founded the congregation, based on oral songs of cochini women.
Other traditions state that the nearby
Chembittapally, a
muslim mosque, was built with wood donated by the Kochangadi Jews.
After its establishment in 1344 A.D., it was restored in 1539 A.D by Baruch Joseph Levi, the Jewish ''Mudaliyar'' of the cochin jews. It is believed to have been demolished by the army of
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan (born Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu, 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799), also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery.Dalrymple, p. 243 He int ...
during his raids into Kerala in 1789 during the Second Anglo-Mysore War.
[Lost Kerala Synagogues](_blank)
Jay A. Waronker, Friends of Kerala Synagogues, 2011 Added to that, Muslim dominance in the area may have forced the Kochangadi jews to relocate further north to Jew Town in Mattancherry.
After it was destroyed, the Jewish community did not rebuild the synagogue. Instead, they moved to the nearby
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 ...
and carried with them the inscription stone mentioning its year of construction and planted it a wall of the
Kadavumbhagam Mattancherry Synagogue
Kadavumbhagam Mattancherry Synagogue aka Kadavumbhagam Synagogue ( Mal: കടവു൦ഭാഗ൦ മട്ടാഞ്ചേരി ജൂതപള്ളി or കടവു൦ഭാഗ൦ ജൂതപള്ളി ) is a Jewish synagogue located ...
at Synagogue Lane, Jew Town. It was re-discovered in 1818 A.D when plaster well from the wall, exposing this inscription tablet.
Later on, it was inserted into the east wall of the nearby
Paradesi Synagogue
The Paradesi Synagogue aka Cochin Jewish Synagogue or the Mattancherry Synagogue (Malayalam: പരദേശി ജൂതപള്ളി) is a synagogue located in Mattancherry Jew Town, a suburb of the city of Kochi, Kerala, in India. It wa ...
where it remains till today. The Hebrew inscription states that the structure was built in 5105 (as per the
Hebrew calendar
The Hebrew calendar ( he, הַלּוּחַ הָעִבְרִי, translit=HaLuah HaIvri), also called the Jewish calendar, is a lunisolar calendar used today for Jewish religious observance, and as an official calendar of the state of Israel. I ...
) as "an abode for the spirit of God". The tablet is the oldest known jewish relic from any synagogue in India.
See also
*
Kochangadi
Kochangadi is a small area in west Kochi in Ernakulam district of Kerala state south India. It is reputed for Chempittapally which is an old Mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), a ...
*
Cochin Jews
Cochin Jews (also known as Malabar Jews or Kochinim, from ) are the oldest group of Jews in India, with roots that are claimed to date back to the time of King Solomon. The Cochin Jews settled in the Kingdom of Cochin in South India, now pa ...
*
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 ...
*
Muziris
Muziris ( grc, Μουζιρίς, Old Malayalam: ''Muciri'' or ''Muciripattanam'' possibly identical with the medieval ''Muyirikode'') was an ancient harbour and an urban centre on the Malabar Coast. Muziris found mention in the ''Periplus of ...
*
List of synagogues in Kerala
There are at least 8 known synagogues in Kerala in recorded history, even though most of them are not operating anymore. Seven of the synagogues are used by the Cochin Jews, with one used by the Paradesi Jews. Each of these is quite unique in it ...
*
Cochin Jewish Architecture
*
*
Gathering of Israel
The Gathering of Israel ( he, קיבוץ גלויות, ''Kibbutz Galuyot'' ( Biblical: ''Qibbuṣ Galuyoth''), lit. Ingathering of the Exiles, also known as Ingathering of the Jewish diaspora) is the biblical promise of given by Moses to the peo ...
*
Judaism
Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...
*
Anjuvannam
Anjuvannam (in Tamil and Malayalam, from Persian anjuman, and hanjama or hanjamana in Telugu or Kannada or hamyamana) typically refers to a medieval merchant guild, consisting of non-Indian traders (ethnic Persians and Arabs), primarily active ...
*
Chempittapally Mosque
References
{{coord missing, Kerala
Cochin Jews
Former buildings and structures in India
Mattancherry
Synagogues in Kerala
Attacks on synagogues and Jewish communal organizations