Kochi Things to Do

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Cochin is a jumping off point for a tour of the famous Kerala Backwaters. I booked a seven hour ride at the hotel and it was about a two hour drive to where the boat launched. You can also book an overnight trip. It was one of the best parts of my trip to India and should not be missed. Just a few pics here with info and more pics in my travelogue.

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I booked an overnight trip through my hotel to the backwaters and Munnar. This city is a hill station and is known for its tea plantations. The scenery is terrific and the cooler temps are a nice relief from Cochin. There are a few sites to see there but mostly it is nice just to drive around the hills.

I had a great driver through the Old Courtyard Hotel--he was smart, funny, and friendly. I think his name was Mano.

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Rustic theater where you can watch nightly demonstrations of Kathakali. This is a very old performance art that tells a story through elaborate makeup and costumes and gestures rather than words. I didn't follow the story very well even though they give out a printed summary of it but it was fun to watch. Supposedly it takes them seven years of training to be able to do this. It starts at 6:30 p.m. but you can come as early as five to watch them apply the makeup.

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Built in 1568 by Kochi's Jewish community which once was the largest in India and is now just a few families. It is quite small but gives you a good history of the community. Shorts are forbidden inside but they will give you something to wrap up in.

Of all the maritime nations that traded with ancient India, the Jews were the first to come to India not only as traders but as settlers. They made their home on the South-West coast as early as the first century, if not earlier.

The Jews then were the first aliens to settle in India, and it was as a result of generosity and tolerance to all religions, shown to them by successive Hindu rules in SW India.

Some sources say that the earliest Jews were those who settled in the Malabar coast during the times of Solomon, and after the Kingdom of Israel split into two. They are sometimes referred to as the "black jews".

The Paradesi Jews, also called "White Jews", settled later, coming to India from European and Middle Eastern nations such as Holland and Spain, and bringing with them the Ladino language. Spanish and Portuguese Jews (Sephardim) settled in Goa in the 15th century, but this settlement eventually disappeared. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Cochin had an influx of Jewish settlers from the Middle East, North Africa and Spain

The Paradesi Synagogue is the oldest synagogue in the British Commonwealth. Paradesi is a word used in several Indian languages, and its literal meaning is a "foreigner". Accordingly, the Paradesi Synagogue literally means a synagogue of foreigners.

As is normal for Orthodox Jewish synagogues, the Synagogue has separate seating sections for men and women.

It is the only functioning synagogue in Cochin today with a minyan. In conformity with the Hindu traditions of Kerala, the worshippers are required to enter the Synagogue barefoot.

It has the Scrolls of the Law, several gold crowns received as gifts, beautiful chandeliers, and a brass-railed pulpit. It houses the copper plates of privileges given to the earliest Malabar Jewish people over 2000 years ago, by the ruler of the Malabar Coast.

[took the picture from the net. Visited on Holiday - Sukkoth (joined the prayers). Photography in holidays is forbidden according to our religion's laws]

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The Paradesi Synagogue was built in 1568 by descendants of Spanish, Dutch and other European Jews that became the Malabar Yehudan people or Cochin Jewish community in the Kingdom of Cochin..

It has served as a functioning synagogue throughout the centuries, and preserves a unique record of Jewish presence in India.

The Clock Tower was added later in 1760.

In fact, the Mattancherry Palace temple and the Mattancherry synagogue have a common wall

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We took the ferry to Fort Cochin where we saw the Chinese Fishing nets, which are really cool.As well walked around and watched the fisherman clean and sell their fish (as well as other street vendors selling things)..But i must admit, the street vendors are not near as pushy as they were in Rajasthan!! Also visited the 17th century Jewish Synagogue....Walked around the spice market and shopped..Lots of really cool things and the store keepers were so friendly and not pushy at all...After that we took a harbour cruise and from there went to see a performance of Kathakali dancing..The actors depict characters from the Puranas and the Mahabharata..superhuman beings...demons and ordinary men and women...The dancers are all male and are wearing these huge skirts and headdress with their faces all made up...And they dance around and make these really strange facial movements..It was something to see, but rather strange!!