The Thekkumbhagam Synagogue, officially the Thekkumbhagam Mattancherry Synagogue, was a former Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, that was located in Mattancherry Jew Town, a suburb of Kochi, Kerala, in South India. The building was demolished in 1960, and a hotel is located on the site.
| Thekkumbhagam Synagogue | |
|---|---|
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Orthodox Judaism (former) |
| Rite | Nusach Sefard |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Synagogue (1647–1960) |
| Status | Demolished |
| Location | |
| Location | Mattancherry, Kerala |
| Country | India |
  Former location of the destroyed synagogue in Kerala | |
| Geographic coordinates | 9°57′24″N 76°15′35″E / 9.956668°N 76.259727°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Synagogue architecture |
| Style | Cochin Jewish |
| Completed | 1647 |
| Demolished | 1960 |
| Direction of façade | East |
History
editThe synagogue was built by the Malabar Jews in 1647[1][2][3][4] on land donated by the Maharajah of Cochin. Prior to its destruction in 1960, the synagogue was one of the oldest known synagogues in India. It was the fourth to be built in Mattancherry after they fled to Cochin from Muziris.
The name of the synagogue is believed to refer to a much older synagogue that once stood in Kodungaloor. The Thekkumbhagam palli (synagogue) was built in typical Kerala-style Jewish architecture and was almost identical to the nearby Paradesi Synagogue though it had a much longer breezeway and a different design of gatehouse.[5][6][7][1] A curious feature of the synagogue were four ostrich eggs that were hung for good luck.[8][6][2][7]
In 1955, the entire congregation made aliyah to Israel leaving the synagogue in the care of the Paradesi community to be maintained.[2][1][7][6] In the 1960s, the synagogue was torn down and a two-story residential house was constructed.[1][3][7] The only remaining relic from this monument is the hekal that was brought and is currently preserved in The Magnes Museum in Berkeley, California, USA.[6][5][4][2][1]
It changed hands again and now a heritage hotel is being constructed.[1][5]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Waronker, Jay (20 October 2010). "The Synagogues Of Kerala, India: Their Architecture, History, Context, And Meaning".
- ^ a b c d Daniel, Ruby; Johnson, Barbara C. (2002). Ruby of Cochin: An Indian Jewish woman remembers. Varda Books. ISBN 1-59045-649-1. OCLC 1243580690.
- ^ a b Pereyra de Paiva, Mosseh (1687). Relacion de las noticias de los judios de Cochin (in Spanish). OCLC 233661908.
- ^ a b Jussay, P. M. (1990). "The Origins of the Kerala Jews – An Evaluation of their Traditional Sources". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 51: 66–74. ISSN 2249-1937. JSTOR 44148189.
- ^ a b c Katz, Nathan (1993). The last Jews of Cochin: Jewish identity in Hindu India. University of South Carolina Press. ISBN 0-87249-847-6. OCLC 246707556.
- ^ a b c d Koder, S. (1974). History of the Jews of Kerala. OCLC 3415398.
- ^ a b c d Rabinowitz, Isaac Louis (1952). Far East mission. Eagle Press. OCLC 1116199220.
- ^ Soltes, Ori Z. (2021). Growing up Jewish in India: Synagogues, Customs, and Communities from the Bene Israel to the Art of Siona Benjamin. ISBN 9789389136814.
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