Paravur Synagogue: A valuable heritage

 

The Jews found Kerala as the safe haven & it is believed that they came to these shores much before the Christian missionaries in the 1st century. The Jews who came to Kerala were very enterprising and their truthfulness toward trade earned them a lot of respect from the local rulers & people. The place of worship of the Jews is a Synagogue & the Paravur Synagogue is considered to be the oldest in the commonwealth countries. The synagogue today does not have any members or daily prayers but the existence of this structure is for all to know more about the Jews of Kerala.

The Malabar Jews or Black Jews as they were locally called came to the shores of Kodungallur & over the period of time based on their trade moved to other parts of the coast like Paravur & Chendamangalam. The synagogue as per the old members is said to have been built at 1616 AD but it is believed that the earliest structure here was built somewhere in the 10th or 11th century. The current structure is a combination of Jewish & Kerala architecture styles. One of the most striking features of the synagogue is its vastness which is not common in most synagogues. The entrance of the synagogue has a padippura with rooms which were said to store goods in earlier times. It is also a synagogue where women were given separate areas to pray. 

The Synagogue stands near the old Paravur market which was once a place of a lot of Jews. The gate of the synagogue has two entrance pillars which are a common feature depicting the walkway. The padippura at the entrance was a common feature in most of the feudal houses of the time. The padippura also had rooms for accommodating both goods & was also used as a guest room. The padippura also has a steep stair which goes to the upper tier & is the one that was used by Jewish women to enter the synagogue. The architecture is considered to be the most expansive among all the synagogues in India. The padippura opens to a large compound & passage which is lined with pillars opening up to the large central hall of the synagogue. At the entrance wall of the inner house is a plaque which credits the person who built the current structure in the 17th century, the text is in Hebrew. The use of laterite stones, wooden panels & plastered walls is quite elaborate. The women devotees were the ones who used the upper tier to pray at the synagogue as they could access the gallery from the outside stairs. Inside the synagogue the roof is a beautiful work of art with intricate carvings, the central pulpit & the Ark on the wall are made of wood. The upper gallery of the Synagogue also has a well carved wooden terrace which is quite unique from other synagogues.

The Paravur Synagogue, unlike other places of worship of the Jews is well preserved & it is important to know that it was subject to many attacks over its history. The Jews enjoyed patronage from the Cochin Kings but the invaders who came later did not subscribe to their ways. The Portuguese who were Catholics were possibly the groups which disliked the Jews the most & it is said that they set the synagogue on fire. For over 6 centuries, the Jews prospered in the area until the Portuguese & Dutch took over & they destroyed many synagogues, the Paravur Synagogue being one among them. The Mysore king Tipu Sultan also attacked the synagogue & it was burnt down during his accession of Cochin. The Jews were enterprising & kept rebuilding their place of worship. The synagogue went into a state of neglect in the later half of the 20th century after the emergence of Israel & the members of the community made an exodus to their promised land. The exodus called Aliyah resulted in many of the families returning back to Israel leaving only the structure behind. The original Ark at the synagogue which is where the holy Torah of the Jews is placed was also transported to Israel in 1995 completing the entire exodus. The synagogue which once had over 300 families became devoid of any Jews. It so happened that by 1996 the miniyan which is the quorum needed to function the Synagogue (a minimum of 10 male members) could not be achieved & so the Synagogue was closed. The protected monument was later in 2009 handed over to the Kerala Government for its upkeep.

It is quite a story of a community which once were the most influential & played an important role in the betterment of the society had to fade away. Their way of life & customs all were quite different but what made the Jews important for people around was their willingness to accept all & cordial hospitable nature. The Paravur Synagogue today is one another important monument related to the Jews of Malabar which is an important place to visit.