also home to one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world. Settlers apparently arrived
in the first century AD. The oldest surviving Jewish
synagogue in India is the Paradesi Synagogue in Kochi (also known as Cochin).
The temple was built in 1568 on the land gifted by the Raja Rama Varma, then ruler of Cochin. It is is believed to have been built on the ruins of a previous synagogue from the 12th century. I am excited to see it. It is located near the Dutch Palace, known also as Mattancherry Palace. The temple was later destroyed by the Portuguese and was later rebuilt by the Dutch. In most Indian languages the word ‘paradesi’ means "foreigner." The Jewish community was once 35,000 but now is at about 35, due to the majority leaving to move to Israel. In the last few years, the synagogue is being restored.
No comments:
Post a Comment