Odathil Palli (Odathil Mosque) is a 200-year-old mosque in

Thalassery Thalassery (), formerly Tellicherry, is a municipality, Commercial City on the Malabar Coast in Kannur district, in the state of Kerala, India, bordered by the List of districts of India, districts of Mahé, India, Mahé (Pondicherry), Kozhikode ...

, a city 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 ...

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territ ...

. The mosque was built around 1806.

History

In the heart of Thalassery stands the 200-year-old Odathil Palli and the Garden Mosque. The site of the Odathil Palli used to be a sugarcane garden of the Dutch. It changed hands to the British-owned

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...

. Moosakaka, a Muslim Keralite, was the contractor of the East India Company. Moosakaka hailed from the

Keyi family Keyi ( ml, കേയി, pronounced meaning "Ship Owner" in Persian language), (Keyi Muslims) are one of the several denominations among Muslims of Kerala, India. The Keyis are known for their immense wealth and land properties acquired through tr ...

of Thalassery. The Keyis were among the prominent traders of the time. Moosakaka was considered to be very honest and trustworthy. Hence, the company wanted to reward him for his loyalty. As per his request, he was given the Dutch sugar garden. Musakaka bought this land for a small price, as he did not want it free.

Etymology

He constructed a beautiful mosque in Thalassery in the 'Karimbin-odam' ( sugarcane plantation) formerly belonged to the Dutch, occupied by the British. Odam means 'garden' in Malayalam. Since it was constructed in Odam the mosque came to be called Odathil Palli, meaning 'mosque in Odam'. The mosque had copper plate roofing and golden dome in the minor and share the scenic features as the ones noted in the Brahmonical tradition. There was opposition in laying the dome – a privilege enjoyed by the temples – so

Zamorin The Samoothiri (Anglicised as Zamorin; Malayalam: , Arabic: ''Sāmuri'', Portuguese: ''Samorim'', Dutch: ''Samorijn'', Chinese: ''Shamitihsi''Ma Huan's Ying-yai Sheng-lan: 'The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores' 433 Translated and Edited b ...

gave speed permission to lay the domes and the minaret. It highlights the communal harmony that prevailed in those days and the policy of enlightened toleration followed by the Kerala rulers. All Muslims can offer prayers. In the Kabaristan (graveyard adjacent to the mosque) only the dead bodies of those related to Keyis are buried.

Highlights

Odathil Palli is a destination that tourists and travelers come to see. The highlights of Odathil Palli are that it has the typical Kerala architecture, and it is in the heart of Tellicherry. The crown on the roof is made of gold. The mosque is still in use for worship today. The masjid has mainly three entrance. First one is through main gate near Thalassery old Bus-stand. Next one is through Logans Road, and third is the entrance through backyard of the building which connected to OV Road.

References

{{coord missing, Kerala Mosques in Kerala Buildings and structures in Thalassery Religious buildings and structures in Kannur district

History

Etymology

Highlights

See also

References