The Kochangadi Synagogue (; ), or Misro Synagogue, was an historic Orthodox

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

congregation and

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

, located in Kochangadi, south of Jew Town in

Kochi Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...

, in the coastal state of

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, 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 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It was built in 1344 by the Malabari Jews after fleeing from Cranganore, making it the oldest synagogue in India in recorded history. It was lost and never rebuilt. "Kochangadi" is an abbreviation of "Kocha Angadi" or "Jew Market", as Jews were addressed as ''Kocha'' in colloquial

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

. The synagogue in its history underwent multiple stages of destruction and restoration. The ruins of the synagogue were 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 retained in the courtyard wall of the Paradesi Synagogue of

Mattancherry Mattancherry (; Cochin Portuguese Creole: ''Cochim de Cima'' ), is a historic ward of Kochi, Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, follow ...

, by the

Paradesi Jews Paradesi Jews refer to Jewish immigrants to the Indian subcontinent during the 15th and 16th centuries following the expulsion of Jews from Spain and Portugal. ''Paradesi'' means ''foreign'' in Malayalam and Tamil language, Tamil. These Sephar ...

History

The Kochangadi Synagogue was built in the 14th century, after the Malabari Jews had to abandon

Muziris ''Muciṟi'' (, ), commonly anglicized as Muziris (, Malayalam, Old Malayalam: ''Muciṟi'' or ''Muciṟipaṭṭaṇam'', possibly identical with the medieval ''Muyiṟikkōṭŭ'') was an ancient harbour and urban centre on India's Malabar C ...

Kodungallur Kodungallur (; formerly also called as Cranganore (anglicised name), Portuguese language, Portuguese: Cranganor; Mahodayapuram, Shingly, Vanchi, Muchiri, Muyirikkode, and Muziris) is a historically significant town situated on the banks of Per ...

. Joseph Azar, the 72nd heir to

Joseph Rabban Joseph Rabban ( old Malayalam: Issuppu Irappan, also Yusuf/Oueseph Rabban; fl. 1000 AD) was a prominent Jewish merchant and aristocrat in the entrepôt of Kodungallur (Muyirikode) on the Malabar Coast, India in early 11th century AD. Ca ...

and the last Jewish prince of Shingly, fled to Kochangadi 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, a catastrophic flood in 1341, 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. No extant remains have been found to corroborate this claim. Another 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, the synagogue was restored by Baruch Joseph Levi in 1539. Levy was the Jewish ''Mudaliyar'' of the Cochin Jews. It is believed to have been demolished by the army of

Tipu Sultan Tipu Sultan (, , ''Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu''; 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799) commonly referred to as Sher-e-Mysore or "Tiger of Mysore", was a ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery ...

during his raids into Kerala in 1789, during the

Second Anglo-Mysore War The Second Anglo-Mysore War was a conflict between the Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India Company from 1780 to 1784. At the time, Mysore was a key French ally in India, and the conflict between Britain against the French and Dutch in t ...

. Added to that,

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

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

and carried with them the inscription stone mentioning its year of construction and planted it a wall of the Kadavumbhagam Mattancherry Synagogue at Synagogue Lane, Jew Town. It was re-discovered in 1818 when plaster fell from the wall, exposing the inscription tablet. Later on, the tablet was inserted into the east wall of the nearby Paradesi Synagogue where it remains. The Hebrew inscription states that the structure was built in 5105 (as per the

Hebrew calendar The Hebrew calendar (), also called the Jewish calendar, is a lunisolar calendar used today for Jewish religious observance and as an official calendar of Israel. It determines the dates of Jewish holidays and other rituals, such as '' yahrze ...

) as "an abode for the spirit of God". The tablet is the oldest known Jewish relic from any synagogue in India.

References

{{Synagogues in India

1789 disestablishments in India 14th-century religious buildings and structures in India 14th-century synagogues in Asia 18th-century attacks on Jewish institutions Buildings and structures demolished in 1789 Cochin Jews Destroyed synagogues Former synagogues in India Mattancherry Religious buildings and structures in Ernakulam district Sephardi Jewish culture in India Sephardi synagogues 14th-century synagogues Buildings and structures completed in 1344 Synagogues in Kerala

History

See also

References