Jew Town, Kochi

The Jewish Town in Cochin is a quaint town that welcomes visitors with its colonial houses and small shops selling antiques and artifacts. The Mattancherry Palace was built next to the temple on land given to the community by Raja Rama Varma of the Jewish city of Kochi. The city is characterized by narrow streets dotted with two-storey buildings, some of which have been painted in bright colours.

1. The city of Kochi breathes in and exudes culture and diversity. Take a walk around the old town and you'll see elements of the city's cosmopolitan past, whether it's the Chinese fishing nets that dot the coast, or the colonial architecture left behind by the British, Portuguese or Dutch.
2. Beneath the blue walls and placards inscribed with the name "Jewish City", spice and antique shops are pepper shops in the area.
3. There are plaques written in Hebrew in front of some stores where you can step in and buy hand-stitched embroidery, kippahs, runners, and others where you can pick up the menorah as well. Windows with railings with stars of David adorn some of the houses around the Pardesi Synagogue.
4. Kochi had eight synagogues in the city that survived until the middle of the 2nd century, but the Pardesi Synagogue is perhaps the most beautiful and, in fact, the oldest active synagogue in the Commonwealth of Nations.
5. Actually services are only held when there is a minion (a group of 10 men required to form a prayer service), which is now only possible with the inclusion of Jewish male visitors. So the beautiful synagogue usually remains empty, only for tourists who come to marvel at its beauty.

📅 Last update: 2024-06-23 || ✍ Author: Sandhya Chauhan

Meet Sandhya, exploring India with curiosity and wonder. She shares info and tips in simple language, inviting you to join the journey. She is graduated in tourism and writes about the places of India.