Islam said to be the last religion that arrived in India through the gateway of Muziris has an interesting history to unfold.
Chendamangalam Juma-Masjid located close to the modern day Kottayil Kovilakam Boat Jetty on the banks of Periyar river.
Chendamangalam Juma Masjid l
ocated in an interesting pattern within a stretch of 1 km
between the Kottayil Kovilakam Sri Krishna Temple, the remains of Jewish Synagogue and Holy cross church ( Syro Malabar Church ).
Moving out after 'Juma' at Cheraman Juma Masjid, The Cheraman Masjid is said to be the very first mosque in India, built in 629 AD by Malik lbn Dinar.
Shot at Methala, Kodungallur Taluk.
Friday 'Juma' at Cheraman Juma Masjid during the holy month of Ramadan.
Periplus
Maris Erythraei - Periplus of the Erythraen Sea of the first century, an unknown
Greek merchant-mariner’s handbook on travel and trade in the Indian Ocean
describes Muziris as “the first emporium of India”, “not to be sought because
of pirates nearby” and where “the shipping station is a long way from the land,
and cargoes are brought in and carried out by light boats”.
Vadakumpuram Thoodu, a significant water way connecting the Muziris Pattanam to other villages near Chendamangalam and Gothuruth
As an empty container ship leaves Kochi a view from Aspinwall building. Day to day life in Cochin unchanged but more of the local fishermen folks, rickshaw drivers and shop vendor have started talking about the Art Biennalle as they feel an increased tourist attention near Fort Cochin and Mattanchery areas.
Shot from Fort Cochin, Kerala on 12-12-12. The legacy of the spice trade related with Muziris and later changed to Kochi lives on with the Biennale.
Kochi-Muziris
Biennale (KMB)
“Kochi and Muziris were the two windows to the world through which trade, religions and culture came to the Indian sub-continent. Judaism, Christianity and Islam came to India through Muziris. Jainism and Buddhism flourished near the ancient trade center. Chinese and the Arabs had their colonies in both ports. The liberal and cosmopolitan outlook of the people was instrumental in the growth of these centers. We adopted Koch-Muziris as the central themes because of the universal outlook of the people and place,” Boney Thomas, research coordinator of the KMB Foundation said.
Two fisherman walks along side a public art work done by Australian artist Daniel Connell on the walls of an old building in Fort Cochin as Biennale Kick starts. Shot from fort cochin, kerala, on 12-12-12.
Old
texts may have fired the imagination about the starting point of the Spice
Route. The unfettered exchange of trade and culture opened the space to all
religions. In different times in history, Chinese, Jews, Portuguese, Dutch and
the British made Kochi their hub for trade. Pepper was as valuable as gold in
the age of discovery. In the 16th
century, over half of Portugal’s state revenue came from West African gold and
Indian pepper and other spices. The proportion
of the spices greatly outweighed the gold.
Visiting
artists are using the lost port as a theme for the event. Many pieces will
involve found art. A Kerala-born sculptor, is designing a piece with abandoned
anchors, while Vivan artist Sundaram is creating a 400 square-foot
reconstruction of Muziris using terracotta shards unearthed at the excavation
site. He will both physically throw water on the installation, and incorporate
video of flowing water, to represent the destruction of the city.
Following are few among the prominent works from the Biennale
Chinese artist Zhang Enli's creation. A visitor peeps through the work at Aspinwall, Fort Cochin on December 15th, 2012.
Artist Subodh Guptas work in Aspinwall building. Shot from Fort Cochin, Kerala on 15th December 2012.
An inspiring installation using roof tiles by Bangalore based artist, L N Tallur. Shot from Aspinwall building, Fort Cochin on 11th December, 2012.
Some records say the first Jews sailed to South India on the ships of King Solomon; others say they came during the Babylonian exile; others that they fled to Malabar after the destruction of the Second Temple; and others refer to a fourth-century migration from Majorca.
Synagogue at Chendamangalam
"as long as the world and moon exist"
The Hindu kings of Kerala gave permission in perpetuity (or, in the more poetic expression of those days, "as long as the world and moon exist") for Jews to live freely, build synagogues, and own property "without conditions attached
A view from women's separated space in a Jewish Synagogue ensuring one shall try to impress no one but only God when they are offering prayers. It is believed that with this gender separation in a Synagogue, the focus on prayers wont be lost.
The alluring architecture of Synagogue in Chendamangalam.
The doors that were meant for Jewish women's entry and exit which was closed later as the Synagogue in Chendamangalam became non-functional. It remains to be a tourists attraction supported and preserved by the Govt of India.
Traces of Jewish architecture can be still found near buildings close to the Jewish Synagogue in the Chendamangalam area of Parur inKerala.
Remains of old Jewish tombstones found close to Kottayil Kovilakam in Chendamangalam, Kerala.
Covered in thorny bushes and leaf litters, one can hardly make out if there is a tombstone. In picture - one among the hand few visible tombstones in Chendamangalam.
"Perhaps the most unique aspect of the Indian Jewish experience is the complete absence of discrimination by a host majority. The secret of India's tolerance is the Hindu belief which confers legitimacy on a wide diversity of cultural and religious groups even as it forbids movement from one group to another." - Raphael Meyer
Sarah Cohen's Jewish hand embroidery shop near Synagogue in Jew town, Mattanchery, Kerala.
A young Sarah Cohen ( 2nd from left ) seen playing cards with her Jewish fellow mates in Jew town, Mattanchery, a photo hung in Sarah's embroidery shop.
Jewish Synagogue in Jew town, Mattancherry, Cochin, Kerala.
