The Bengalis of Amer/Amber (Jaipur), Rajasthan

हिंदी में यहाँ देखें

Few years ago, I had to visit Jaipur in Rajasthan (India) along with my son and stayed there for couple of days. On reaching there we could get some nice accommodation at a moderately priced hotel near the Railway Station. After we freshed up, the Manager of the hotel was kind enough to tell us about the options available for sightseeing. We, however, decided to first accomplish the purpose of our visit and once it was was over, we lunched in a different Rajasthani restaurant and hired an Auto Rickshaw to take us straight to the famous Amer/Amber Palace/Fort which was actually at a distance of 16 kms.

When we were just near the fort the Auto driver stopped his vehicle and advised us to either take the elephant ride or a Jeep to go to the top. The Elephants were lined up waiting for passengers. We preferred a Jeep as an Elephant ride seemed to be too expensive. While travelling in the Jeep, the driver cum guide told us about Lal Bazaar which was on the left and that it is a Bengali settlement. I wondered as to how there is a Bengali settlement here and while I was conversing with my son, the driver also informed us that the Priests of the temple inside the fort are also Bengalis. I remembered that the owner of the hotel, we were staying at as well as the Manager there, were also Bengalis. Very soon we were parked at a place above the top and the driver asked us to visit the fort/palaces and return back to find him at that point.

We entered the complex through the entrance known as Sinh Pol, At right through a flight of steps there was a temple dedicated to Goddess Durga known here as Shila Devi. The main door is made of silver on which images of Durga and Saraswathi were carved out. There were two lions of large proportions as if standing guard to the Goddess. We had the darshan and thereafter started loitering around the marvelous complex.

Back home, in our own complex we have a Bengali friend Shri Subhash Bhattacharya, a DIG with CBI (Central Bureau of Investigations). We knew that he had his house at Pilani, Rajasthan. An animal lover and a staunch environmentalist. We told him about our visit to Jaipur and about the Bengali settlement there. To our surprise he told us that for over 400 years his ancestors were the head priests of the Shila Devi temple in the Amer Palace complex. Even today his eldest brother Shri Mahesh Bhattacharya is the head priest there. He narrated his experiences when as a child he used to beat the drums while his father used to perform the rites (Pooja) inside the temple’s sanctum sanctorum. He also showed us his family album and an important photograph was that of a Raja Chood Singh Palace which was provided to the Bhattacharya’s for their residence. 

It is now their property and is being sought after by a heritage hotel chain. Their family also have their own temple known as “Mansa Mata Mandir” of which Shri Mahesh Bhattacharya is the Trustee. It is believed that all your wishes get accomplished if you pray to the deity (Goddess) there. However, one needs to bow to the Bhairava as well, at the top of the Jaigarh Fort which is visible from that point. It is needless to emphasize that the Goddess alone cannot fulfill your wishes without her better half !.

Apart from the information we received from our dear Bhattacharya, we also made some independent searches and learnt that one Shri Vidyadhar Bandopadhyay, an architect was instrumental in the town planning of Jaipur which was established in 1727. He belonged to a Goswami (Gosai) clan who are the priests in the Shri Krishna temple in the City Palace. One Shri Sansar Chandra Sen, a highly accomplished personality, was earlier the Prime Minister of the Pricely State. A road in the city is named after him. Late Rajmata Gayatri Devi hailed from Cooch Behar (West Bengal) and therefore there was further influx of Bengalis into the city.

The present day Amer/Amber Fort cum Palace was built in 1592 AD by Raja Man Singh, the trusted lieutenant of Akbar, the Moghul ruler. Man Singh was appointed as the Governor of Bengal which included today’s Bangladesh. Man Singh wanted the Raja of Jessore (Bangladesh)to be subdued. However, this was not an easy task. Man Singh understood the perils which awaited him. He is then supposed to have worshipped Goddess Kali (Durga) to help him to win the battle. Mother Kali is supposed to have come into his dreams and instructed him to dig out the black stone slab lying in the river bed which was her own sculpture. She wanted the sculpture to be installed at the Amer/Amber Palace with human sacrifices every day. If this condition was acceptable, he could win the battle other wise not. Man Sinh relented and finally won the battle. The sculpture was traced out and moved to Amer Palace some where in 1596. However there was a need for performing the daily rites. Man Singh got a family of the priestly class identified for the purpose and brought them to Amer with promises of hereditary priesthood to that family as also some villages by way of grants. This is how the Bengali priests arrived.

The Goddess needed a human head everyday. The Prisoners of War came handy. This continued as long as Man Singh was there until his natural death at Ellichpur in 1614. We may well imagine the number of heads that might have been severed out to appease the Goddess. After Man Singh’s death his, son Mirza Raja Bhan Singh is supposed to have prayed to the Goddess to accept Goats instead of humans and some people suggest that the Goddess turned her head away. Even today the head of the deity in the temple remains swayed to the right. Although the sacrifice of a horned goat is carried out everyday, even now, the downfall of the Kachhwaha clan to which Man Singh belonged is attributed to the negation of human blood to the presiding deity in the Amer Palace!.

After the Goat is butchered, the head is kept in a silver vessel and offered to the deity early in the morning at about 5.30 AM. Wine is also a part of the offering which is kept in two silver vessels. The rituals are carried out behind the curtain and a visit to the temple after the rites are over is supposed to be rewarding as the deity is supposed to be in a happy mood after relishing the offerings. The slaughter was being carried out publicly but due to the laws being enforced, it is now done in a separate room.

Photo Credit (except the goat): GIL trotter@sapo.pt

Most Unusual Churches around the World

Arun Babu (babuarun007@hotmail.com) has sent in an interesting mail detailing the most unusual Churches around the World. It looks as if he has collected the photographs from:  http://www.boredpanda.com/50-most-extraordinary-churches-of-the-world/. This site is more informative and lists  50 churches. One could visit  the above link to relish the contents. 
1. The Church of Hallgrímur, Reykjavík, Iceland

The Church of Hallgrímur is very very unusual, never seen anything like that.

This Lutheran parish church is also a very tall one, reaching 74.5 metres (244 ft) height. It is the fourth tallest architectural structure in Iceland.

It took incredibly long to build it (38 years!) Construction work began in 1945 and ended in 1986.

The Architect of this building is Guðjón Samúelssondesign.

More info: Hallgrímskirkja

2. Cathedral of Brasilia in Brasilia, Brazil

This is a very famous Cathedral of Brasília designed by Oscar Niemeyer. It looks really modern but somehow childish to me. These columns, having hyperbolic section and weighing 90 t, represent two hands moving upwards to heaven.

The construction was finished in 1970.

More info: Cathedral of Brasília

3. Paoay Church (St. Augustine Parish) in Philippines

(Image Credits: Storm Crypt)

Paoay Church reminds me of Aztec architecture. It looks very massive and strong. The walls of the church are 1.67 meters thick and are supported by 24 carved and massive buttresses.

Its construction started in 1704 and was completed in 1894 by the Augustinian friars led by Fr. Antonio Estavillo. It is said, that Its construction primarily was intended to withstand earthquakes. And it could test the strength of the walls very soon, because the church was damaged by an earthquake in 1706 and 1927.

The design of the church is a mixture of Gothic, Oriental and Baroque influence.

4. Duomo (Milan Cathedral) in Italy

Duomo looks incredibly tall and majestic. It even has an evil and scary look in this picture. After checking the Wikipedia for more info I found there were more photos of this cathedral, but they don’t look as cool as this photo here. Maybe its just an illusion made by a good photographer that this building is so amazing.

On the other hand, Mark Twain said the following of the Duomo in Milan in his work, Innocents Abroad:

“They say that the Cathedral of Milan is second only to St. Peter’s at Rome. I cannot understand how it can be second to anything made by human hands.”

More info: Wikipedia.

5. Church Ruins in Goreme, Turkey

The rock cut ruins of a church by persecuted Christians.

Not sure when it was built, but definitely look very ancient. How did those guys carved the inside of these rocks?

The Cappadocia valley, where this church stands, is very popular for its rocks that the people of the villages at the heart of the Cappadocia Region carved out to form houses, churches, monasteries.

There are an estimated 150 churches and several monasteries in the canyon between the villages of Ihlara and Selime.

Those rocks are volcanic deposits, so that means they are soft rocks, making it possible to carve such structures.

6. Green church, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Don’t have info about this church, nevertheless it’s very unusual. I have never seen a church so green, have you?

Michael: “a parish church in Buenos Aires, Argentina known as the “Huerto de Olivos”, or “Garden of Olives,” most likely a reference Gethsemane, on the Mount of Olives”

7. Borgund Stave Church, Lærdal, Norway

Stave churches may have been very usual all over medieval northwestern Europe but now you can only find them in Norway. Well ok, there is one one in Sweden, but nowhere else.

Borgund stave church located in Borgund, Lærdal, Norway is the best preserved of Norway’s 28 extant stave churches. This wooden church, probably built in the end of the 12th century, has not changed structure or had a major reconstruction since the date it was built.

Interesting fact: the church is also featured as a Wonder for the Viking civilization in the video game Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings.

8. Paraportiani Church, Mykonos, Greece

I will just cite, what the author of this picture wrote about it:
“Paraportianí Church is one of the most famous architectural structures in Greece. Its name means secondary gate, because it was built on the site of one of the gates of the Medieval stone walls. Some parts of this beautiful church date from 1425 and the rest was built during the 16th and 17th centuries. ”

9. Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain

I have never seen anything as incredible as this building! Never been to Spain, but if I ever happen to do so, I will definitely include Sangrada Família on the must-see list. I wonder, how does it look in reality?

Sagrada Família is a very massive Roman Catholic basilica under construction in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Construction began in 1882 and continues to this day. A very famous architect Antoni Gaudí worked on the project for over 40 years, devoting the last 15 years of his life entirely to this endeavour.
In the center there is going to be a tower of Jesus Christ, surmounted by a giant cross; the tower’s total height will be 170 m (557,7ft)..

There is so much info on this one, that you should check Wikipedia.

10. St. Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow, Russia

Cathedral of Saint Basil the Blessed , is a multi-tented church which stands on the Red Square in Moscow.

This church looks really cool, because It has very unusual onion domes which look playful and colorful. Sometimes people even say, that they remind them of lollypops.

The cathedral was built in 1555 -1561 by Ivan IV (a.k.a Ivan the Terrible) to celebrate the capture of the Khanate of Kazan.

A legend says that Ivan had the architect, Postnik Yakovlev, blinded to prevent him from building a more magnificent building for anyone else. In fact, Postnik Yakovlev built a number of churches after Saint Basil’s..
More info: Saint Basil’s Cathedral

11. Church in Stykkishólmur, Iceland

This church in Iceland looks really weird, like some alien structure. It was built in 1990 and the architect is Jón Haraldsson.

12. Basilica de Higuey, Dominican Republic

Basilica de Higuey is located in the city of Higuey, Dominican Republic. Its unusual look reminds me of a basket.

The church is one of the most respected monuments of the Dominican Republic. The basilica was inaugurated on January 21, 1971, and was built by French architects.

13. Grace Fellowship Baptist Church, Baltimore, MD, USA

This strange building is actually a church. Once it was famous for being “Detroit’s most beautiful Chinese-American restaurant”. Later it closed down and became the Omega Baptist Church and then the Grace Fellowship Baptist Church. Located at 265 Baltimore, MD, USA.

14. Las Lajas Cathedral in Colombia

Las Lajas Cathedral looks unusual to me because one side of it seems to be a part of a bridge across the river and the other side rests on the hill. The overall look is really fascinating.

Built in 1916 inside the canyon of the Guaitara river where, according to local legend, the Virgin Mary appeared.

You can find this church in southern Colombian Department of Nariño, municipality of Ipiales, near the border with Ecuador.

15. Jubilee Church in Rome, Italy

Jubilee Church has very distinctive curved walls which look like sails to me. Designed in 1996 by architect Richard Meier, the church has curved walls which serve the engineering purpose of minimizing thermal peak loads in the interior space.

The walls are made from a special cement, which contain titanium dioxide, so it destroys air pollution.

According to Borgarello “When the titanium dioxide absorbs ultraviolet light, it becomes powerfully reactive, breaking down pollutants that come in contact with the concrete.”

16. St Joseph Ukrainian Catholic Church in Chicago, IL, USA

Maybe I’ll better don’t tell what those domes remind me (haha). Very very unusual looking building I must say. Its massiveness and gray color looks like Soviet architecture. I was amazed when I read that it was actually in USA and not somewhere In Soviet Union.

St. Joseph Ukrainian Catholic church is a is most known for its ultra-modern thirteen gold domed roof symbolizing the twelve apostles and Jesus Christ as the largest center dome.

It is celebrating its 52 years, so it was built in 1956 (if my calculations are right).

More info on Wikipedia: St Joseph Ukrainian Church

17. Notre Dame du Haut in Ronchamp, France

Someone told that the roof of this building looks like Elvis’ hair.

Informally known as Ronchamp, the chapel of Notre Dame du Haut was completed in 1954 and is considered one of the finest examples of architecture by the late French/Swiss architect Le Corbusier.

Most interesting fact to me is that, when it rains, water pours off the slanted roof onto a fountain, creating a dramatic waterfall.

More info on Wikipedia: Notre Dame du Haut

18. Odd Church in Huntington Beach, CA, USA

Don’t have info on that one, only this photo and the location: Huntington Beach, CA, USA.

As far as I understand it must be sponsored by Shell, because it has a huge SHELL logo on it (this statement can be absolutely different from the reality). Looks terrible overall.

19. Chapel of St. Gildas, Brittany, France

This church is really odd one, sorry I have no info on it, only the words of the picture author: “This was on the canal to Carnac. Really odd church in the (seeming) middle of nowhere. ”

Mads: “This is the chapel of St-Gildas, which sits upon the bank of the Canal du Blavet in Brittany, France. “Built like a stone barn into the base of a bare rocky cliff, this was once a holy place of the Druids. Gildas appears to have travelled widely throughout the Celtic world of Corwall, Wales, Ireland and Scotland. He arrived in Brittany in about AD 540 and is said to have preached Christianity to the people from a rough pulpit, now contained within the chapel.” (from ‘Cruising French Waterways’ by Hugh McKnight p.150)”

20. Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro looks like a Pyramid of Egypt or Aztecs.

It was built between 1964 and 1979. Conical in form it has internal diameter of 96 metres (315 ft) and an overall height of 75 metres (246 ft). The church has a standing-room capacity of 20,000 people.

Four rectilinear stained glass windows soar 64 metres (210 ft) from floor to ceiling.

21. Saint-Michel d’Aiguilhe chapel (Le Puy-en-Velay, France)

Perhaps one of the most remarkable sights in France, a chapel perched on a volcanic plug. This is the Rock of Aiguilhe, on the edge of the town of Puy en Velay, in the Auvergne. The Chapelle Saint-Michel has stood there for 1042 years, since Bishop Gothescalk had it built in 962 on his return from a pilgrimage to Santiago del Compostella in Galicia. In 1955 workers found relics under the alter that had been there since it was built.

22. The Wireman Chapel at Eckerd College (St. Petersburg, Florida, USA)

A kid on the tour to Eckerd College once said it looked like a “Jesus spider from outer space.” Inspired by 20th-century architect

Eero Saarinen, the Chapel was designed by the highly respected Chicago architectural firm of Perkins and Will. Its key design features are its octagonal shape and in-the-round seating, the oculus at the center of the roof that directs sunlight to the center of the sanctuary, the lower glass panels which reflect light from the water outside to the interior, and the girders which recall the flying buttresses of the medieval cathedral, instilling a sense of timelessness in a contemporary structure.

23. Chapel in the Rock (Arizona, USA)

This facinating Roman Catholic church is literally built into the rock... The views from outside are unbelievable but the serenity inside is awesome

Some say, that Chapel in the Rock can move even the non-religious.

24. Device to Root Out Evil (Calgary, AB, Canada)

It was too hot for New York City; too hot for Stanford University. But a controversial, imposing sculpture by renowned international artist Dennis Oppenheim finally found a public home in laid-back Vancouver. A country church is seen balancing on it’s steeple, as if it had been lifted by a terrific force and brought to the site as a device or method of rooting out evil forces. In 2008 it was moved from Vancouver to Calgary, AB, Canada.

25. Trendsetters Church (Phoenix, AZ, USA)

Trendsetters Church in Phoenix, AZ, built in 1973 by Neil Frisby as Capstone Cathedral. I’m sure Neil Frisby visited Egypt just before designing this church.

26. Church of St. George (Lalibela, Ethiopia)

Possibly the most famous of Lalibeli’s churches, the Church of St. George is completely carved out of stone in the shape of a cross.


27. Written Stone (Monastery, Romania)

Local tradition confesses that,during the construction of a railway , at the opening of the a tunnel, it was found an icon painted in stone representing the Holy Trinity. The monastery was built at the opening of the tunnel The monastery was built at the opening of the tunnel on the rock.

28. Bruder Klaus Chapel (Mechernich, southern Germany)

A concrete chapel on the edge of a field in Mechernich, southern Germany, built by local farmers in honor of their patron saint, the 15th-century hermit Bruder Klaus,” according to icon.

29. Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira, (Cundinamarca, Colombia)

Catedral de Sal (Salt Cathedral) in Zipaquirá, about 25 miles north of Bogotá, is an underground church built in a tunnel of salt mines deep inside a salt mountain. It is built into a space left by salt mining; everything you see here is salt. As you descend into the church, you pass 14 small chapels representing the stations of the suffering of Christ. The sanctuary at the bottom has three sections, representing the birth, life, and death of Jesus.

The first Salt Cathedral was consecrated in 1954, but structural problems and safety concerns led the authorities to shut down the sanctuary in 1990. The current church was built between 1991 and 1996 about 200 feet below the old sanctuary, again using caves left behind by previous mining operations..

30. Cathedral of Maringa (Parana, Brazil)

This is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in downtown Maringá, Paraná, Brazil, measuring 124 m high. It was completed in 1972 and is the tallest church in South America and the 16th tallest in the world.

Architect José Augusto Bellucci was inspired by the Soviet sputnik satellites when he projected the modern design with conical shape of the cathedral, which was idealized by the archbishop Dom Jaime Luiz Coelho.


31. Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, (Milwaukee, WI, USA)

Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, was designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1956, and completed in 1961. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church is one of Wright’s last works. Its shallow scalloped dome echoes his Marin County Civic Center.

32. The Felsenkirche a.k.a. Church of the Rock, (Idar-Oberstein, Germany).

The Felsenkirche (”Church of the Rock”) , a church built into a natural niche in the rocks, rises high above the houses of Oberstein.. Nicely blends into the mountain, making all this place magical.

33. Catholic Church (Uruguay)

34. Grundtvig’s Church, (Copenhagen, Denmark)

Grundtvig’s Church (Danish: Grundtvigs Kirke) is located in the Bispebjerg district of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is a rare example of expressionist church architecture. Due to its unusual appearance, it is one of the best known churches in the city.

35. Mr. Eko’s Church (The Island)

Architects: Eko and Charlie.

36. Church with an A (Madrid, Spain)

A Parish Church at the beginning of Alcalde Sainz de Baranda St. (Madrid, Spain).

37. Pilgrimage Church(Neviges, Germany)

Pilgrimage church designed by Gottfried Böhm and constructed during the period of 1963-1972. The sunken cathedral in autumn colors. Böhm used the terrain to lessen the impact of the enormous church on its small scale context.


38. San Francisco de Asis Church (Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico)

San Francisco de Asis Church is a small mission in Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico. Construction on the church began around 1772 and was completed in 1815 by Franciscan Fathers and its patron is Saint Francis of Assisi. It is made of adobe as are many of the Spanish missions in New Mexico. It a few miles south of Taos Pueblo and has inspired among the greatest number of depictions of any building in the United States. It was the subject of four paintings by Georgia O’Keeffe, and photographs by Ansel Adams and Paul Strand. Georgia O’Keeffe described it as, “one of the most beautiful buildings left in the United States by the early Spaniards.”

39. Church in a Hill(Luxembourg)

This church is built into the hillside on which it perches. One of the reasons the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg has survived as an independent state for a thousand years against such powerful neighbors as Germany and France, is that the area is eminently fortifiable.

40. Church Birdhouse (Greer, South Carolina, USA)

A colorful birdhouse, made in the shape of a church, hanging on a fence of someones yard in Greer, South Carolina. The bird living in this church must be a bird-priest raising donations from other birds in a form of seeds.

Alpana Verma from Abu Dhabi has sent in the following photograph of the World"s Smallest Church in Canada which continues to be used. She says it is world's smallest church which is always open and functioning.doors are 10x10 feet.It is situated on the River Road [between Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake]

Parsis (Zoroastrians) in India - Endangered Species

                                                                                                     हिंदी में यहाँ देखें

While moving around downtown, Mumbai, you are most likely to come across the imposing building housing the Parsi Fire Temple (Atashgah). The beautiful frescoes decorating the outer walls has always attracted me. However the notice board prohibiting entry of non-Parsis always intrigued me. I was always tempted and tried to have a peep inside. At times I even felt like entering the premises, under disguise, wearing a Cap but something within forbade me.

The population of Parsi community , the followers of Zoroastrian faith, is dwindling. They number around 1,25,000 world-wide and out of that nearly 80,000 reside in India and most of them are in Mumbai. Prophet Zarathustra (meaning one who loves camels), introduced the Zoroastrian religion in ancient Iran some 2600 years back. He was also born to a virgin mother "Dughdova". His spoken directives are contained in Avesta, their holy book. Originally this consisted of 21 chapters but additions were supposed to have been made subsequently. The Avesta also incorporates "Gathas" personally authored by the Prophet in the form of verses. Their religion advocates Good thoughts, Good words and Good deeds. They are basically fire worshippers. In their temple, Atash Behram, the holy fire, remains burning all the time and is never extinguished. They refer to their God as Ahura Mazda.

Before we start exploring about them, let us briefly have a look at their glorious past. As early as 550 BC, Cyrus the Great established the Achaemenid Persian (Iranian) Empire with their capital at Persepolis. It reached its zenith during the rule of Darius I (522-486). They patronized Zoroastrianism and ruled over a vast area extending to three continents and twenty countries. It was the largest empire in the ancient world. The empire could not, however, withstand the attacks by Alexander the Great and crumbled by 330 BC. Again during the Christian era Ardashir I established the Sassanian Empire in 224 AD which ruled for the next 400 years upto the 7th century AD. Parts of western India (Present day Pakistan) were also under their control. Their state religion was also Zoroastrian.

After the fall of the great Zoroastrian empire, to escape from persecution at the hands of the invading muslims, the Parsis started en-mass migration to safer places. They had a fair idea about the Gujrat coast due to their long trading association. The migration started from an area known as Khorasan (which was a part of Iran earlier but now stands divided amongst many countries) somewhere between the 8th and 10th century AD. The first batch of more than a 1000 people arrived at Diu by the sea route. A local ruler named Jadi Rana or Jadav Rana gave them shelter with an understanding that the Parsis will adopt the local language and customs. The story woven around the offer of shelter says that the King, apprehensive of tall, fair and warrior like foreigners sent a bowl full of milk, implying that there was no place for the Parsis in his kingdom. The leader and High Priest of Parsi community, Dastoor Neryosang Dhaval added sugar to the milk and sent the bowl back to the king. This action implied that just as sugar mixed with milk added taste and flavor to it, Parsi’s will mix with the local people and be an asset to the kingdom – Some say he dropped his Gold ring in the milk instead of sugar signifying that they will only add to the wealth of the kingdom, and never take them away.


These Parsi refugees named their settlement as Sanjan, the name of the town in Turkmenistan where from they had come. Shortly thereafter, within years, a second group also arrived known as Kharsani or Kohistani who also brought with them the instruments of their faith (Alat). A third group is also reported to have arrived taking the overland route. Although there are no documentary evidences regarding their arrival in India, a book titled as "Kissa-e-Sanjan" written by Bahman Kaikobad contains the story of the arrival and settlement of Parsis at Sanjan. This was written in 1599 AD and is relied upon as an authentic work.

within five years of their arrival, they had constructed a Fire Temple for consecrating the holy fire (Atash Behram) brought by them from Iran. Although they had adopted the local language and the customs of the people of Gujrat, they preserved their cultural identity and religious traditions zealously. By 10th century AD they had started moving out and settling in other parts of Gujrat as well. During the 15th century, Sanjan was under attack by the Muslim army. Majority of them fled to Navsari together with the Holy Fire where it got housed in a temple in 1516 AD. Due to differences amongst the high priests, the holy fire got shifted to Udvada in 1742.

Around 1620 the English East India Company was enabled to establish its factory at Surat which became a major trading centre. Parsis who were either traders are artisans, were induced to settle down at Surat to exploit the business opportunities it offered. The English also preferred to deal with the Parsis and many of them became the brokers of the Company. Under the famous wedding treaty of 1665 (Catherine Braganza of Portugal to Charles the Second of England) the islands of Bombay were ceded to the British Crown which was eventually leased out to the East India Company. The Company was interested in developing Bombay as its base for it operations and it needed skilled people for various activities. People from Surat were given inducements to migrate to Bombay including the Parsis. Once again the Parsi population started moving to Bombay because of the prosperity it held for them. Gujrat also suffered from a great famine during that period which further accelerated the movement of Parsis to Bombay. As a matter of fact Parsis were already settled in Bombay even prior to 1640 during the Portuguese occupation. There are records of one Dorabji Nanabhoy who is said to have been engaged in trade during 1640.

As was the case with Surat, here in Bombay too the English preferred to have Parsis as their trading partners. One Rustom Manek seems to have been the first authorised broker of the Company who was conferred the title of "Seth". It was his son Navroz, who established the Parsi Panchayat in 1728. The Panchayat was intended to implement self governance within the community but due to several reasons it got confined to welfare activities which it continues to administer as a Trust. Being close to the British, Parsis understood the importance of modern education for the prosperity of their community. The first English School was started by them in 1849 and surprisingly it was a co-educational one even at that time. Later on separate schools for boys and girls sprang up. Parsis are credited for their immense contribution in every field including India's independence movement. Some of the eminent personalities being, Feroze Shah Mehta, Dadabhoy Naoroji, Bhikaji Cama, Homi J Bhabha, Homi K Bhabha, Sam Manekshah, Jamshedji Tata, Sooni Taraporewala, Nani A Palkhiwala, Wadias, Godrej and many many more.

As already said, Parsis worship the holy fire. A child (irrespective of a boy or a girl) is initiated into the Zoroastrian faith between the age of 7 and 9 years during a ceremony known as Navjot which is something like the thread ceremony amongst Hindus. It is the first time when they wear a Sudrah (shirt made of muslin which has an inner pocket) and also tie a woolen girdle known as Kushti. This Kushti is made out of 72 threads of Sheep Wool and tied winding the waist thrice. These are the compulsory accompaniments for any religious ceremony. They also sport a vermilion mark (Bindi) on their foreheads on such occassions. They look upon the Earh, Fire and Water as sacred and are revered. So as not to desecrate these elements, they offer their dead to the Sky. When some one dies, after the religious rites, the body is taken out and the room is sprinkled with Cows urine for purification of the area. The dead are placed above a tower (Tower of Silence) known as Dakhma to be eaten away by vultures. The skeletal remains fall down the well and get decomposed due to presence of charcoal, lime and other chemicals. The first such tower was built in 1673 in the Malabar Hill area of Bombay on the land provided by the East India Company. Earliest of their fire temples (Atashgah or Agiary) at Bombay are at Banaji Lane, Opposite Akbarally's show room built in 1709 and on Nariman Street, near CST which was commissioned in 1733.

As already stated in the beginning, the Zoroastrians (Parsi) are now in the category of endangered species. Year after year their population is coming down due to a very slow birth rate as compared to the elderly taking to the tower. One major reason being general apathy towards getting married amongst the males. They seldom consider taking a partner before they are 40 and above. On the other hand modern girls from the community,in their twenties, majority of whom are of western orientation seek partners outside the community. This is a sort of vicious circle. The Parsi community does not accept outsiders to their fold and on the other hand all their people who seek alliances outside the community are driven out. Speaking about accepting outsiders, a high priest of Navsari Atashgah once said:

"if such persons have not shown a sense of fidelity to their own religion of birth, then what guarantee do we have that they will show an unflinching commitment to our Parsi/Irani Zarthoshti beliefs and reet-rivaj?" He further stated:

"I believe that our religion is truly "mazishtacha, vahishtacha, sraeshtacha", the mightiest, the best, the purest and therefore throughout my life my family members and I have always been proud to have been practicing Parsi Zoroastrianism in all respects. Whilst we respect all religions, we should not fall prey to introducing the precepts and practices of other faiths into our homes, nor should we indulge in pujas, fasts, and prasads, if we wish to be truly spiritual in the religion of our birth."

Interestingly and contrary to these statements, the DNA studies carried out amongst the members of the community reveals that the male part of the DNA, i.e the Y Chromosome does indicate the presence of an Iranian ancestry but the corresponding feminine part seems to have been lost and replaced by a Gujarati lineage. Obviously this indicates that the Parsis, when they landed on the soils of Gujarat, had established marital relationship with the local women folk.

Here is a rare video on problems with their funeral:

Three Breasted Queen of Madurai

                                                                                            हिन्दी में यहाँ देखें

Recently I was searching for some specific pictures of an early Pandyan cave in Thiruparankundram, hence had made an appeal for viewers near madurai to help with pictures. One of my friends Smt. Shoba Ramakrishnan sent me her collection but it was from the famed Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple. While going through it - i came across this Gem of a sculpture. Initially I was bit hesitant to publish this post, for it concerned usage of certain sensitive ( in these days) descriptions and some explicit sculpture. But was emboldened by the strength of the legend and the need to explain a sculpture as it is. So in order to prepare myself in advance for any backlash, i tried to seek assistance from friends on authentic texts - found the Thiruvilaiyaadal puranam authored by Paranjyothi Munivar

http://www.shaivam.org/tamil/sta_tiruvilaiyadal_02_u.htm

Ok, enough of beating around the bush - today we are going to see the sculpture and the story behind the three breasted Queen of Madurai - a name so synonymous with the city that the very mention of her name or the city - brings up the other.

Since the legend is long and well known - starting off with the sculpture first. How would a sculptor show a three breasted maiden, who should be ravishingly beautiful, full of pride bordering on manliness, majestic as a ruler, yet befit the title of the future consort of shiva - add to this her fame as the fish eyed one. Simple task for our master sculptor.

Now we go to the legend, the Pandyan King Malayadhwaja was a great devotee of Shiva and Shakti. Despite this, the couple were unhappy that they did not have any issues and as a King, he had to have a male heir to continue running the Kingdom. Hence, King Malayadhwaja along with his wife Kanchanamala perform a penance. From the great yaga, a three year old girl comes out of the fire. The child was ‘Ayonija’ (not born out of the womb). However, the King was shocked to see that she had three breasts. He pleads that he has been a devote follower and done the penance according to strict rules, yet he has been blessed not with a boy but with girl and she too with three breasts. Just then a divine voice is heard

“Don’t fear. Whatever has taken place is for good only. You bring up this child like a man. Whatever education and training is given for a man, all such education may be given to this child. Name her Thadathagai ( endowed with irresistible valour) When she sees the man who is to be her husband, the third breast will disappear. ”

Since she had eyes shaped beautifully like fishes (Meena) she was called Meenakshi. She grew to be a very beautiful young woman despite her birth defect. After the Kings’ demise, she ruled the country herself - Her valor was unparalleled and she was unmatched in battle. Kingdom after kingdom fell to her might till she had no one else to conquer by Shiva himself. Destiny drove her on and she marched with her massive army to Kailash to face Shiva.

Shiva meantime, knew of this and came to meet her - clad in his tiger skin, sporting snake ornaments, sacred white ash allover his body, wearing the sacred thread - he smiled knowingly at her. In that instant she realized who she was, the third breast disappeared, the manly valor gave way to feminine shyness, as she realised it was Shiva her beloved, who had given half of himself for her - who was in front of her…

Vijay Kumar from Singapore
Photo Credits: Shobha Ramakrishnan

Deogarh in Uttar Pradesh

We were to catch a train at Lalitpur which is located on the trunk route between Chennai and Delhi closer to Jhansi junction in the state of Uttar Pradesh (India). However, we learnt that the train was running some six hours behind schedule and therefore was not likely to arrive before 8.00 PM. We were at Lalitpur before noon and were upset for we had to wait for such a long time before we could start moving. Meanwhile, our driver who drove us this far, to see us off, suggested a visit to Deogarh to spend the time as he knew about my obsessions. We were really thrilled at the idea of making use of this time gap fruitfully and drove away to this cherished destination. It was at a mere distance of 33 km's south of Laitpur at the western end of the Lalitpur Hills.

Once on the top of the hill, ruined temple structures seemed waiting for us. In fact there is an insignificant medieval fort built by a ruler named Kirtiverma somewhere in the 12th century and therefore named as Kirtigiri. In one of the inscriptions it is also referred to as Luachhgiri but presently it is known as Deogarh only. Standing temples could have been there much before the fort came into being. We came across a ruined structure of a Varaha temple. Only the platform exists. The idol seems to have been stolen away. Devgarh was a great centre of Jainism from 8th to the 17th century and there were supposed to have been some 40 temples around, out of which 31 still exist. The temple of Jain Tirthankara Shantinath is of unique importance with splendid carvings. Within the temple campus are panels depicting scenes from Jain mythology, Tirthankara images, Manasthamba votive pillars, Ayagpatta votive tablets, Sarvatobhadra Jain images visible from all sides and Sahasrakuta pillars carved with a thousand motifs of Jain monks. Among other important structures at Deogarh are the rock cut caves, Siddha-ki-Gufa, Rajghati and the Naharghati.

The river Betva flows majestically winding its way through a deep gorge on the right. From the top of the hill, it offers an excitingly beautiful, out of this world panorama. We were just spell bound looking down. The only other spot we could think of which could match this wondrous beauty was encountered at Satdhara near Sanchi. Steps have been carved out leading to the waters of the river. Number of cells have been cut out of the rock to the left as we climb down. These small cells were once inhabited by the Jain monks who used to meditate there enjoying the natural beauty surrounding it. Many of the cells have inscriptions on the walls in a script datable to around 8th/9th century AD.

After climbing up, we rested a while, had a re-look at the surroundings which were full of wilderness with growth of vegetation all around. Clearly, there were no attempts to keep the place tidy. We then drove back. Within a few kilometers of drive we came across a standing temple at the left with which we seemed to have been acquainted but never knew that well this is here. A small interruption has become inevitable.

In India when we started providing a shelter to our Gods with various manifestations, we thought they will be safe in caves like Barabar,Ajanta and Ellora. In the plains, we continued to worship them keeping under sacred trees. Then there was an awakening. We provided for a roof for them by constructing a square flat roofed structure called temples. Thereafter, we got worried about the devotees visiting such shrines and for them a small porch (Mandapa) got added. The earliest living examples of such temples are found at Tigawa near Jabalpur and Sanchi. In the evolutionary process of Indian temple architecture, the next thing was to provide a cap for the flat roofed structure known as Shikhara. The earliest example of this type of Panchayatan style temple is in Devgarh which is datable to around 470 AD. The one at which we stopped.

This temple dedicated to lord Vishnu is known as Dashavatara temple made of red sand stone. Some of the sculptures are of black and gray granite as well. Built over a high elavated platform, the door jamb is adorned with sculptures of the river godess Ganga on the one side and Yamuna on the other. Entry into the sanctum sanctorum was, however, blocked. We had to remain contended going round and having a look on the other three sides. There were panels showing the salvation of Gajendra (Gajendra Moksha), Penance of Nar and Narayan, and Vishnu depicted resting over the mythical serpant called Sheshanag. Lord Kartikeya riding his vehicle, the Peacock, lord Indra on his Elephant Airavata, Lord Brahma over the lotus and lord Shiva and his consort Parvathi on the Bull (Nandi) are depicted above the reclining figure of Vishnu. Under the same panel, it is perhaps for the first time in the Indian temple iconography that we find the team of Pandavas together with their wife Draupadi appearing below the reclining Vishnu. However, we do have such examples of Pandavas appearing in temples dedicated to lord Shiva from the 7th century onwards.

By the time we were back at Lalitpur, it was around 6.00 PM only and therefore we went to a joint near the clock tower of the town famous for their hot mangodas (Pakodas) and returned to the station after a fill. The waiting for the train continued.

Photo credits except first two: Vaticanus

For a Hindi Version Click Here

Rudra Shiva of Tala (Bilaspur)

Around 29 km's South of Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh (India) there are ruins of two temples popularly known as Devrani and Jethani on the banks of the river Maniyari at Tala or Talagaon. Fragmented sculptures lie scattered all around. During the site clearance operations, (although it is named so but factually it was a large scale excavation carried out around the temple ruins) very many huge sculptures, most of them broken, were recovered from under the soil. The complex looked like a grave yard of sculptures. Amongst them one was unique in the sense it defied all attempts to identify it with anything known so far.

sculptures are not made mindlessly. Normally they are supposed to conform to the Shilpa Sastra and the characters are from various mythological beliefs. The one we are talking about, which got christened as Rudra Shiva, does not fit into the framework of known characters. The intricacy of carvings encountered at Tala (Bilaspur) is superb. The ruined structures are massive. Scholars have so far failed to associate them with any of the known art forms viz. Gandhara, Mathura and so on. The period being 6th century AD, one would be tempted to assume that the temple and the art associated with it are derivatives of the Guptan style at its zenith still quite distinctly different. The closest match could be the ruins at Sisdevri of Baloda Bazaar Tahsil in Raipur District of Chhattisgarh.

Devrani Temple Ruins

Although it is very difficult not to talk of very many other features which lend grace to every thing there, we need to confine ourselves to the mystical execution of the so called Rudra Shiva alone for which this post is intended. If one looks at the huge sculpture which is almost 8 feet in height and weighs more than 5 tonnes, it would appear as if it is a massively built demon with emphasis on muscular strength. The sculptor seems to have used every conceivable creature to energize and to form part of its anatomy; serpent seems to have been a favorite. One may even feel as if evolution of life on earth is taken as a theme for this creation. Coming to its various bodily parts, we may perhaps start from top progressively going down.

Jethani Temple Ruins

Two snakes make the head dress. They are tied around like a turban and the hoods crossing each other to give a bow like impression. Two serpent hoods are found above each shoulder. We do not know where the tails rest. The ears are adorned by Peacocks. The nose is made of a descending lizard and so are the eye brows. Eyelashes are either in the pattern of an open mouth of a frog or the mouth of a roaring lion. The upper lip and moustaches are made of two fishes while the lower lips and chin are shaped like a crab. Crocodiles have been depicted as shoulders and both the hands look like coming out of its mouth. Seven human heads are engraved in various parts of the body. Of these a pair of small heads may be seen in either side of the chest. A bigger face forms the abdomen. These three faces have moustaches. Each thigh consists of a pair of heads of which two smiling faces are carved on the front side, while the other two are carved on both sides. Heads of lion are depicted on each knee. The waist band is also designed like a snake and the finger tips on both the arms end with snake heads. The genital organ (Penis) is made of head and neck of a tortoise. Two bell-like testicles are designed as forelimbs of the same animal. A snake is also shown entwining the left leg. Probably the legs are also formed like that of an Elephant but it is not very clear due to the bottom being broken.

At the time of the discovery of this massive idol, it was found lying in a 10 x 4 trench (on the front right of Devrani temple) which was laid out with stone slabs at the bottom. Some mud was poured into it before the sculpture was put down with head downwards and later on filled with soil. There appears to have been a deliberate attempt to bury it under the soil and not due to any accidental fall as otherwise the sculpture could have been found broken. At least the head could not have sustained the fall. Why then this marvelous sculpture was discarded. The only plausible reason seems to be that it was no longer required. Even today we find many construction sites displaying a demon like head to ward off evil eyes. This sculpture too could have been created for a like purpose and when the construction of the temple got completed, this evil catcher was consigned to the grave. A senior archaeologist is of the opinion that there would have been two such sculptures and the second one still remains to be discovered.

According to the Shivapurana (6-9-14):

Rur duhkham duhkha hetum va

tad dravayati yah prubhuh

rudra ityucyate tasmat

Sivah paramakarana

"rur is sorrow or the reason for getting sorrow. The lord who destroys that is called rudrah who is shiva".

Therefore Rudra Shiva could not have been sculptured at Tala in such devilish characteristics.

Patalkot - the bottom of the Earth

We were traveling in a hired vehicle from Raipur to Pachhmarhi via Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh (India). After a drive of about 62 km's. on a plateu like terrain, we came across a sign board on the right side of the road reading "Patalkot". We were reminded of the people living in the bottom of the earth and indeed it was!. We alighted from the van and saw an extremely deep gorge surrounded by high mountain ranges. The place looked heavenly beautiful and scenic. In a way the formation resembled the great canyons of the Americas. But it was not barren. There was plenty of greenery. All of us climbed down carefully using the stairs provided but when we reached the bottom of the 3000 feet cliff, we were told that we need to walk for about 3 km's to reach the nearest human habitat. Since we were required to reach Pachhmarhi the same evening, we found our way up with a heavy heart.

There were people standing near our vehicle to greet us. We then spoke to them and learnt many things about the place. We also supplemented ourselves with additional information about the wonderful place and now we share it. Here it goes..

Deep in the valley, in an area around 79 square km's, there are tribal hamlets in 12 villages situated approximately at a distance of 2 km's apart. The inhabitants are tribal of Bharia and Gond denominations. They are above 2000 in number and solely depend on the mother earth for their livelihood. The vegetation in the valley is more akin to the tropical forests. The Doodh river which flows inside the valley lends grace to the terrain.

The important aspect of the flora and fauna is its bio diversity and abundance of rare plant species, medicinal plants and herbs. The inhabitants are skilled at using the forest plants and herbs to make effective medicines for every known ailment. The Bhumkas who provide health care in the hamlets have inherited the divine knowledge from their ancestors. However, the modern world was completely unaware of the existence of Patalkot and the people of the valley had an isolated existence until recently. Now there are increasing threats of deforestation and exploitation of the people.

The State Government has formed a Patalkot Development Agency which has been entrusted with the responsibility of welfare of the tribals. A middle school, primary health centre and veterinary services have now been made available. Self Help Groups have also been formed for the effective use of forest produce. Pure vegetarian Honey which comes out of Patalkot is really something to relish.

Incidentally, we may add here that one Dr. Deepak Acharya, a research scholar, who hails from that area, has been engaging himself in understanding, protecting and preserving the unique bio-diversity and the traditional knowledge of medication of the adivasis (Ethnobotany). Clicking the highlighted words will lead you to the respective sites.

Reports suggest that out of greed, a cartel of traders is active in the area and are engaging themselves in smuggling out the rare herbs and medicinal plants which are even being exported abroad. Their activities, unless checked, may lead to further deforestation and loss of the unique bio-diversity found in the valley.

Here is a video of Patalkot. Please do listen to the drum beats at the end.


Photos: Dr.Deepak Acharya हिन्दी में यहाँ देखें

Elephant Beuty and Elephant Walk Policy

Ramesh Menon

Elephants - Temple elephants are an integral part in the life of Keralites. Especially, if you are from Trichur area. The attachment towards the animal and interaction are very emotional and sensitive that they even address them by names and from ancient times there are several stories propagating the love and affection between man and elephant.

An Elephant's walk is a beauty to watch. However, imagine a situation if it get's wild. You just have to do a small search on youtube, you will see several videos of attacks by wild and angry elephant's killing it's mahout or others who come across.

Out of love and passion for the animal, I too have developed a very important Management Principle based on Elephant, closely following it's gentle and beautiful walking style which is a beauty to watch and it's actions terrorising all when it is wild. I have termed it as ELEPHANT WALK POLICY. It is somewhat related to our Gandhian and Hitler's philosphies and principles. Ist part of this principle follows Gandhi. Be mild - as mild as you can till you cannot tolerate any more when you may change over and follow Hitler and be wild and aggressive - as aggressive as you can. Create a wild impact and then let this impact force the results. It may be harmful, but till you shift the gear to Hitler, be a Gandhian.

Photos: PN Subramanian

at Mulakunnathakavu

Satdhara - Buddhist Ruins

It is natural for friends and relatives visiting us expecting them to be taken around to places of interest. We have been religiously fulfilling this obligation to ensure that they also reciprocate , when we return the visit. This is a two way traffic. To give credence to their expectations, I have been visiting Sanchi, a world heritage Buddhist site, around 42 km's North of Bhopal, quite often. Whether I enjoy such visits is any body's guess. A Bhopal visit seems to be incomplete unless they go to Sanchi, to escape being ridiculed when they are back home.

My brother-in-law and his family was once on a visit to Bhopal. They wanted me to plan out visits to several places i.e., Ujjain, Dhar, Mandu, Onkareshwar, Maheshwar and of course Sanchi as well. I nearly fainted but it was a great relief when they requested me to arrange for a hired vehicle, large enough to carry all of us. I was spared of penning a requiem for my poor Maruti.

Within the next two days, we were on the wheels. As a first itinerary, we were on our journey to Sanchi. Many years ago I had heard that few more Stupas were discovered by the ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) somewhere near the present site. This information was lingering over my head. Before we could reach Salamatpur, short of about 12 km's from Sanchi, there appeared a hoarding on the left side of the road - "Satdhara - Buddhist remains - 5 km's". This was a new board with directions to the new site. Well I thought, this could be some thing of interest to me and worth exploring.

Since we were traveling in a hired vehicle (Sumo), I thought I could afford to ask the driver to take us that way. The driver obliged and took the narrow road towards Satdhara. Soon we discovered that the road was strewn with boulders, but we moved on, notwithstanding the fact that the journey seemed taking us to hell. The jerks were becoming unbearable and the distance was covered in about 1 hour!. By the time we reached the spot, tiredness was writ large on every one's face.

A view of the river "Bes"

When we got down and looked around, we were dumb struck. There was a river flowing very very deep at the left, mountain ranges and greenery all around, the pristine beauty captivated all of us. Amidst thick forest cover, we could get the glimpses of the great Stupa in the wildest form one could imagine with all sorts of wild growth over it. We went closer and found restoration work being carried out. We could also see a second Stupa which was smaller in size. The area being large, we were contended with what we saw. Nobody, in our group, seemed interested in surveying the area any further. The spot, up above the river bank, was scenic and seemed to me as one of the most beautiful places for picnicking. The river is known as "Bes" and at some distance seven rivulets join the main stream and that is the reason for the place being known as Satdhara (Seven Streams).

Approach to the main StupaOn our way back from the main Stupa, I thought of talking to the officials at the site office. My interaction with them revealed that the Satdhara Hinayana Buddhist complex, is spread over in an area of 28 hectares, with a Main Stupa, twenty-nine stupas and two monasteries. The Main Stupa


was constructed in the third century BC, during the Ashokan period, with large-sized bricks. It was then covered with stone layers some four hundred years later. Fragments of northen black polished earthenware possibly from 500-200 BC and Buddhist rock paintings from the 4th and 7th centuries AD have also been found. However, not much is known about the relics stored inside the Stupas.

While returning, after a drive of about 2 km's, we cross a canal. On the right there stood an imposing relic of the Nawabi days. The place is known as Kachnaria Kothi. It was supposed to have been used by the Prince of Wales (George Vth) during his hunting expedition in the princely state of Bhopal during 1911/12. It is said that during his expedition not a single tiger could be located but the English News Papers carried reports of the prince killing 3 of them! Plans are afoot to renovate and develop it to promote tourism. We could not, however, visit the Kothi as it was locked. We then continued our journey to Sanchi as per the programme.

Photo middle one by: Srinath Rao                         Find a Hindi Version here

Jews of Cochin

During the second half of September, two years ago, I happened to be at Kochi (Cochin). My younger brother drove me and my family around the city and finally we were at the mouth of a narrow lane known as Jews Street in Mattanchery. We parked the car at some distance and made our way through the lane. Months before my coming here, I had seen a malayalam movie "Gramaphone" and some of its settings seemed to come alive. Most of the shops along the road were selling antiques and souvenirs. I was fascinated to see some beautiful ceramic knobs used for drawers/cupboards etc. I bought couple of them. Some of the shops had large warehouses on the back side filled with antiquities. Old pillars, door jambs, large vessels and many such things. Once upon a time it was the main trading centre of the Jews, one of the most respected and tolerated communities, whose number has drastically dwindled to a dozen.

At the far end, the old Paradesi Synagogue (1568) with its age old clock tower (1760), still stands as a meek witness of the prosperity, the street once boasted. When we were at half a distance, many people were seen assembled in front of a particular house at the right of the road. They were all gossiping. We peeped inside the house through an open window. There was a large hall and a corpse lied there on a couch, with oil lamps lit. My heart was filled with remorse to learn that the 13th Jew has departed (12 more remain). Also that the cremation had been kept in abeyance due to lack of quorum. Jews need at least 10 persons of their community to witness any religious function. They were supposed to be hunting nearby places in search of people from their community, living in Ernakulam, Mala, Chennamangalam etc. I went inside the house, went near the dead body and paid my homage's. It seems, I stood there for quite some time and moved out only after a prompt from my brother.

Kerala coast is famous for its spices from times immemorial and there was an active trade with several other countries through the main port of Muzris (Kodungallur, Cranganore). Jews are supposed to be visiting Kerala coast from the times of King Solomon of Israel (967 BCE). Settlement of Jews in Kodungallur, according to their own legends, started after the destruction of the second temple at Jerusalem, during the beginning of the Christian era. According to their own account, they came here in several batches over a period of time. They had a head man of their tribe known as Suranum Moplah and some 1000 families arrived in the first batch in 68 AD. 3/4th of them settled in Kodungallur and rest of them moved to nearby places like Chennamangalam, Mala etc. They claim to have received a copper plate from the local ruler, Cheraman Perumal, conferring on the community special privileges as also the land referred to as Anjuvanam. This copper plate is said to have been issued in 378 AD on the 36th year of the rule of the Perumal. As we would see, this claim is totally unfounded. There are no other archaeological evidences to establish their claims. However, at Chennamangalam, there is a very old tomb stone, inscribed in Hebrew "Sara the daughter of Israel 1269".

There seems to have been attempts to distort the historical facts, either by destroying or fabricating evidences by various interested groups. Incidentally, the above referred copper plates are not the originals. The original plate was said to be made of brass and was engraved on both sides. One Rev. C. Buchanan, made out facsimiles on two copper plates which is presently available. He is stated to have deposited the original with the University of Cambridge leaving the duplicates with the Jewish community. As per the translation provided, the grant was made to Joseph Rabban (Isuppu Irabban) and 72 families. A grant made to a Christians community at that time, is said to have been copied from the plates referred above. Looking at the script of the inscription, palaeographically, it is barely datable to 10th Century AD. As is assumed, the grant was made by Bhaskara Ravi Varman II (962-1020 AD).

During 1341, due to geological disturbances, including floods, the coast line got altered. the flourishng port of Cranganore (Kodungallur) became unserviceable due to heavy siltation and Cochin became the main centre of commercial activity. In order not to harm their livelihood, the Jews were given land for building homes and for agriculture outside Cranganore to the east of Cochin in a place known as Kachangadi. A synagogue was built there in 1344. A sign placed there during that time is now at the Paradesi Synagogue.

In 1524 the Portuguese conquered Cranganore. They brought about the destruction of the community through forced conversions and burnt the existing Synagogue along with the manuscripts, preserved by the Jews since their arrival in the area. Even the Jewish cemeteries were destroyed. During the same period Muslims also attacked the community backed by the rulers of Calicut due to business rivalry in the Pepper trade. Thus all the Jews fled to Cochin, Chennamangalam, Palayur, Pullut, Quilon, Chowghat etc. Cranganore, now became devoid of any traces of Jewish habitation which once flourished there.

In 1663, the Dutch East India Company, after a battle with the Portuguese, gained control over the area. The Jews gave full support to the local Raja and the Dutch to get rid of the Portuguese. Once again the stars were in their favour. The Jews started flourishing. The Dutch were Protestants and unlike Portuguese, were tolerant towards other faiths. They even brought printed Torah (the Bible of the Jews) scrolls and prayer books for the Cochin Jews from Holland. In 1686 there were 10 synagogues and nearly 500 Jewish families in Cochin.

The Cochin Jews were divided into three major categories, the biggest group known as Meyuhassim (priviled) were the natives (early settlers) speaking the local dialect. They were also referred to as Black Jews although they were not really blacks. The second group was the Pardesi Jews or the White Jews who were foreigners from Spain, Holland, Poland, Ezypt etc . settled there. The third category Meshuhararim consisted of erstwhile slaves converted to Judaism on emancipation. They had separate synagogues, Theckoombagam, Paradesi and Kadavumbagam respectively.

The major cause for reduction in the population of the Jewish community in Cochin is attributable to the creation of a separate Jewish Nation known as Israel. There had been large scale migration to that promised land from across the globe, Cochin not being an exception. Only the old and infirm were left behind. Time is not far away when we shall not see a single specie from that tribe. However, the Synagogue, a protected monument, with its beautiful interiors, decorated with Belgian cut glass chandeliers, laid with hand painted blue ceramic tiles brought from China in 1762  will continue to remind us of the Jewish connection.