MATTANCHERRY
The old Mattancherry Bridge was built in
1940 by Sir Robert Charles Bristow. This bridge connects Wellington Island with
Fort Kochi and crosses Vembanadu lake. The Bridge was built in 16 span with
Steel and Woos. The center span of the bridge is designed in such a way that it
can be raised using a spring mechanism. The bridge was commissioned on 13 April
194 and it was a part of NH 47 later. Now the bridge is closed and only 2
wheelers and light motor vehicles are allowed to enter into this bridge.
Mattancherry is a locality in the city of
Kochi, India. It is said that the cheri (street) full of mutton butchers
gradually became muttoncheri which is spelled now as Mattancherry.Also, it is
said that the name Mattancherry comes from” Ancherry Mattom “, a Namboodiri
illam which the foreign traders then pronounced it as Matt Ancherry , gradually
became Mattancherry. It is about 9 km from Ernakulam town. There are frequent
bus and boat services to Mattancherry from Ernakulam town. The boast start from
Main Boat Jetty near Subash Park at Ernakulam. The word cheri in Malayalam can
be translated as ghetto or slum, the word root comes from chernilam which means
wetland. The sea level height of city of Kochi is very low and almost wetland.
Dharmanath Jains Temple, dedicated to Shri Dharmanath, the 15th Jain
Tirthankar, is another religious institution of Mattancherry. Built in 1960,
the temple complex is sprawled over a large area with various blocks
constructed for prayers and as places for offerings. The architecture of the
temple is inspired by the Jain Temples of Gujarat.
As the temple completed 100
years, it was recently officially granted the “teerth” status and as part of
the celebrations, renovation and restoration work of the temple was carried
out. Temple is made of marbles and there are beautiful carved structures in the
temple. It is open to all the communities.
Mattancherry is a part of Ernakulam
District in Kerala, India. It is a tourist destination. It is surrounded by the
backwaters of Arbian Sea. Mattancherry was the first trade hub of the present
district. Mattancherry is populated by people from various walks of life and
various parts of India and abroad. There are people who have come and settled
in Mattancherry from Goa, Tamil Nadu, and Gujarat and so on. Earlier,
Mattancherry was the trade link to Ernakulam . Main trade was on spices such as
pepper and turmeric. Tea is also traded.
JEWTOWN ANTIQUE MARKET, MATTANCHERRY
If you are interested in antiques and are
willing to spend hour or 2 sorting through curious to get to a good antique
piece, then you should not miss out on the fun of shopping Jew Town.
Jew Town is a narrow street between
Mattancherry Palace and the Paradesi Synagogue.
The antique shop stores anything and
everything that can be described as antique and that may catch the eye of a
tourist. Apart from these antiques, one can find paintings, souvenirs,
sculptures, handmade toys, embroidered garments, in many other shops along the
street.
These shops also carry antiques as well as
replicas, so before you purchase ask whether it is new or old and most of the
shopkeepers will guide you honestly. They also ship goods to any part of the
globe.
SYNAGOGUE
The Paradesi Synagogue is the oldest active
synagogue in the Commonwealth of Nations, located in Kochi,Kerala in South
India. Constructed in year 1567, it is one of seven synagogues of the Malabar
Yehudan Mappila people or Cochin Jewish community in the Kingdom of Cochin.
Paradesi is a word the literal meaning of the term is “foreigners”, applied to
the synagogue because it was built by Sephardic or Spanish speaking Jews, some
of them from families exiled in Aleppo, Safed and other West Asian localities.
It is also referred to as the Cochin Jewish Synagogue or the Mattaancherry
Synagogue. The synagogue in the area still in use. It was built adjacent to the
Mattacherry Palace temple on the land given to the Malabari Yehuden or “
Yehuden Mappila” community by the Raja of Kochi, Rama Varma. The Mattancherry
Palace temple and the Mattancherry Synagigue share a common wall. The Malabari
Jews or Yehudan Mappilar (also known as Cochin Jews or Yehudan Mappila) formed
a trading community of Kerala and they controlled a major portion of worldwide
spice trade. In 1568, Paradesi Jews constructed the Pradadesi Synagogue
adjacent to Mattancherry Palace, Cochin.Now part of the Indian city of
Ernakulam , on land given to them by Raja of Kochi. The original synagogue was
built in the 4th century in Kodungallur ( Cranganore) when the Jews
had a mercantile role in the South Indian region (Kerala) along the Malabar
coast. When the community moved to Kochi in the 14th century, it
built a new synagogue there. The Malabari Jews’ or Yehudan Mappila first
synagogue in Cochin was destroyed in the 16th century by the
Portuguese persecution of the Jews and Nasrani or Suriyania( Mappila or Syriac
( Aramatic) Mappila People.
DUTCH PALACE
The Mattancherry Palace is a Portuguese
palace popularly known as the Dutch Palace, in Mattancherry, Kochi, in the
Indian state of Kerala features Kerala murals depicting Hindu temple art, portraits
and exhibits of the Rajas of Kochi.
The Palace was built and gifted by the
Portuguese as a present to the King of Cochin around 1555/ The Dutch carried
out some extensions and renovations in the palace in 1663 and thereafter it was
popularly called Dutch Palace. The rajas also made more improvements to it.
Today, it is a portrait gallery of the Cochin Rajas and notable for some of the
best mythological murals in India, which are in the best traditions of Hindu
temple art. The palace was built to appease the king after they plundered a
temple nearby.
JAINTEMPLE
Jain Temple, dedicated to Shri Dharmanath,
the 15th Jain Tirthankar, is another religious institution of
Mattancherry. Built in the year 1960, the temple complex is sprawled over a
large area with various blocks constructed for prayers and as places for
offerings. The architecture of the temple is inspired by the Jain Temple of
Gujarat.
CHEBITTA PALLI, MATTANCHERRY
Expecting more than 500 years old
Mosque.Located 300m far from Jew Town, Mattancherry. Inside the Mosque have
many writing in old letters.
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