Paradesi Synagogue - Mattancherry

India, as we all know, is a mix bag of all religions and this 'Unity in Diversity' has been our strength and weakness :)

Today's 'Temple Saga' reaches Mattancherry in Cochin where one can find a thriving Jewish community in the old quarter of Cochin called the Jew Town. The synagogue in Mattancherry is one of the prominent tourist attractions which was built in 1568. It is adjacent to the Malabar Palace Temple and they share a common wall. The land was offered to the Jewish community by the then Raja of Kochi, Sri Rama Varma.

Simple in construction without the ornate decorations, Paradesi synagogue displays a charm that draws our attention. I think the most striking element here would be the clock with Hebrew inscriptions. 'Paradesi' literally means 'Foreigners' and refers to the mixture of jews from Kodungalloor, Middle-East and Europe.

The synagogue is also a treasure-house of antiques and rarity from the tiles to chandeliers, from gold crown to brass-railed pulpit.

A couple of pictures from Old Cochin

Stamp issued in 1968 to commemorate the 400 Anniversary of the Synagogue

The color prompt was:

Raspberry, Tangerine and splash, smudge or pop of yellow

My net connection was down for the past few days and I am extremely sad to have missed last Friday. Anyways, going with better late than never...I am submitting my post :(

Linking it to PPF & SOC.

Kochi pic and stamp - Courtesy: Google other than paintings and info.

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